Caught in a Web of Love
by mysterious encounter
Summary: TasMi. High school is a place where people meet and occasionally fall in love. Miaka and Tamahome have been together for two years, but what happens when a dashing redheaded rebel transfers to her school? [Its been years...but I'm writing again]
1. The New Kid

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yûgi is not mine. Depressing, yes, but it's the truth. It belongs to Yû Watase. Remember that!   
  
This isn't really a fic from anyone's point of view; I'll be bouncing around from character to character. I know that has a technical name but right now my brain is fried and I'm too tired to think of it.   
  
Sister; "It's called 'third person', dunce."   
  
Me; "Oh yeah" ::blush::   
  
Uhm, I'm not to good at summarizes... so here it goes!   
  
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'I got no feelings, no feelings,   
  
No feelings for anybody else.'  
  
Loud music echoed throughout the godly white room. Sound waves ricocheted off bookshelves, oversized leather armchairs and off the large maple desk in the middle of the room. Feet clad in heavy leather boots tapped slightly upon the desk as the beat roared from headphones, casually slung about the neck of individual sitting in the leather armchair. Rocking back and forth, the leather boots couldn't help but scuff the varnished maple surface.   
  
'Except for my self, my beautiful self, dear.'  
  
"Ahem." A loud guttural interruption caused the young man to lower the volume on his walkman with a blatantly aggravated groan.   
  
"What is it, Grandma?" Was his rude reply.   
  
"You are here for your new schedule, not to blare that boisterous clatter you call music." The sagging, wrinkled face of the woman behind the desk suggested wisdom and sent warnings to the careless young man sitting in front of her.   
  
The juvenile delinquent gave her a snide look in response as his arms crossed in front of his chest, leaning back on the armchair's back two legs, rocking slightly. The ancient woman leaned forward, propping her hands on her desk as she did so. She glared at him for a moment, as he looked about the room unconcerned with her or her warnings.   
  
'Let's get this over and done with so I can toss this delinquent out of my office and onto his ass.' She thought as she watched the teen in front of her nudge the cheap looking symbol of authority with his foot, one that held her status etched on the front of it.   
  
"Sure, Grandma. Hand it over so ya can get back ta yer harsh and grueling duties as the principal." The adjectives he used to describe his opinion of her position dripped with sarcasm as he spoke with the tone of a bandit.   
  
She suppressed animosity towards the teen as he got up, the buckles of his boots clanging together as he took his feet off the elderly principals desk and gradually stood. She slid the slip of paper across the desk to his waiting hand before shooting a finger towards the open door that led to the crowded hallways of the school, bustling with young adults. The boy hastily grabbed his schedule before walking towards the door, raising the volume on his busted up walkman as left the room and principal in peace. He stuffed his new uniform in his backpack that he casually slung over his shoulder, not bothering to change for the day since he officially started tomorrow. Sticking his hands into his black sweatshirt pocket, he scanned the hallway, and began to look for a long lost friend.   
  
After moving away from Japan right before he turned 10 and living 7 years in America, the boy was finally back home, away from all the bustle of the foreign country.   
  
A mischievous grin spread across his lips, revealing thorn-like fangs, giving him the appearance of a vampire. He turned off his walkman as he caught sight of who he was looking for, casually walking up to the boy. The individual stood at a robins egg blue locker, face hidden in a mess of books. The only thing that gave him away was the midnight blue mop that sat on top of his head.   
  
"Knock knock." He spoke with a grin of satisfaction on his face, hoping to surprise his long lost companion. "Who's there? It's Tasuki, friend of Kôji--" His strong imitation of his friend's usual greeting was cut short by a slamming locker.   
  
"TASUKI!" The blue headed boy spun around to greet his old buddy with wide astonished eyes. He gave his friend a quick once over to see how much he had changed in 7 long years. The 17-year-old teenager in front of him had grown a considerable amount, standing tall at 5 feet 8 inches, but of course that was expected. His blazing red hair still had its disheveled look to it, and his vivid amber eyes were as bold as ever.   
  
A sly grin spread across Kôji's face. "Ya jackass. Ya didn' tell me you were comin' back so soon!" His voice had the same, bandit tone his friend's held.   
  
Tasuki's toothy grin widened as he began to speak, "I figg'rd I'd sur–– Whaddya want, women?!" He snapped as a fairly short maiden interrupted him with auburn hair tied up in buns on either side of her head, held there by red ribbons. She glared daggers at him with round, emerald eyes, her arms laying crossed over her chest as she tapped her food impatiently.   
  
"Excuse me, but you're at my locker and I need to--" She felt a hand grab her chin and her eyes widened as a fairly tan face approached her own. Aqua and ruby earrings jingled slightly as they dangled from the Tasuki's ears, his face centimeters from the girl's. A faint grin appeared on his face, not afraid to show his fangs.   
  
"Lemme guess....Ya need ta get ta class? How 'bout you 'n me skip class tagether..." As he spoke, his face got even closer, a small yet wicked grin on his face. "I could whisk you away 'n--"   
  
The loud sound of colliding flesh echoed throughout the now empty hallway, all of the other students now in their classrooms. Tasuki winced and held his stinging cheek that beat red with pain as he backed away a bit from the girl.   
  
"What th' hell was THAT?!" Tasuki groaned in slight pain. 'She's a feisty one,' he thought sorely, being reminded of his hatred for women.   
  
"I should be the one asking you that! First you make me late for class and then you try and kiss me!" The girl spoke fiercely, arms at her sides and her hands clenched into fists of anger.   
  
Kôji watched from the sidelines in silence and could not help but grin to himself at his friends misfortune. Tasuki had just arrived and already he wasn't doing so hot in the ladies department. But it didn't surprise him, knowing his buddies fiery hate for women. 'I suppose growing up in a house full of six raging females going through PMS can do that to a man,' Kôji mused silently with a sigh. He was brought back reality when Tasuki spoke.   
  
"What's th' point in messin' with ya anyway. I don't like girls." He snapped with a grunt as he peeled his hands away from his face, which was still a little pink from her slap. He looked at her with wolf-like eyes as he crossed his arms in front of him. As he observed her roll her eyes, he felt something ripple and awaken inside of him. 'Maybe there's somethin' different about this girl.' He quickly thrust those thoughts from his mind. 'Damn women messin' with my head!'   
  
Tasuki reluctantly moved aside, realizing she was glaring at him bitterly. Him and Kôji watched as the girl turned the dial on her locker, throwing the door open furiously, causing both the guys to jump slightly. She loaded her large beige backpack with the books she needed for the class she was missing, grumbling quietly about her unlucky encounter. She shut her locker and zipped up her bag, carelessly slinging it onto her shoulder. Her cell phone flew from an open pouch as she stormed off to get to class.   
  
Kôji and Tasuki looked at each other in astonishment as the small silver phone fell to the ground with a loud clatter. They averted their gaze to the retreating girl who did not seem to hear the cell phone hit the ground.   
  
Tasuki picked up the small metallic object and flipped it open with his thumb. His eyes scanned the screen and caught sight of a name.   
  
"Miaka, eh?" He quickly snapped the phone closed before tossing it high into the air and quickly snatching it again with a sly grin.   
  
Kôji watched the phone sail high into the air again. "Watcha grinnin' for, Tasuki?" His eyes watched the phone become surrounded by his buddy's hand again, slightly puzzled.   
  
"She messed with the wrong guy..."  
  
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Miaka stepped into the classroom, all eyes were on her.  
  
'Great,' she thought, 'just what I need. Detention.' She groaned silently as she cautiously stepped further into the room, walking to her desk next to a fellow with dark turquoise hair and light violet eyes. The boy smiled brightly at her as she took her seat and set her bag down.   
  
Miaka smiled lovingly back at him as she whispered, "Good morning, my love."  
  
"First your late to my class, Yuki-dono, and then you have the nerve to talk to Kishuku-dono while I'm teaching! I'll be seeing you after school." The teacher shouted at her through grit teeth. His lips pursed together in anger upon his chubby face, narrow eyes glaring at Miaka above a large, pig-like nose. His mustache and short beard twitching as his pudgy face moved.  
  
"Gomen, Eiken-sensei" She bowed her head slightly as she grit her teeth to keep herself from talking back.  
  
Eiken turned his large body around and started writing on the board again, going back to his lesson.  
  
"Sorry for getting you in trouble, Miaka." The boy next to her leaned over as he apologized.  
  
Miaka looked at him with another loving smile. "Don't worry about it, Tamahome. I had it coming anyway." She whispered affectionately.  
  
Golden eyes stared at the two lovers conversed quietly across the room. Jealousy welled up deep inside of the boy as he nervously stroked the ponytail of long ebony hair that was casually slung over his shoulder. 'All we'll ever be is friends.' He mused silently. 'Why can't you give me a chance, Miaka?'   
  
The boy felt something poking him in the back. He cautiously turned around in his seat with a silent groan, knowing exactly who it was.  
  
"Hotohori." The feminine male behind him whispered cheerfully with a bright smile. "How are you this morning?" The male held onto a single, light plum braid that was tossed over his shoulder. Light maroon eyes sparkled with happiness, proud that he got Hotohori's attention.   
  
"I am fine, Nuriko. Thank you for asking." Hotohori gave a half-hearted smile, his mind off someplace else. His eyes averted away from Nuriko and back towards the couple who were deep in conversation.  
  
"So why were you late, Miaka?" Tamahome asked curiously as he leaned towards her a bit.  
  
"Some new guy was standing in front of my locker..." She gazed down at her page in her binder. Doodles occupied the space where notes should have been kept. "And he tried to make a pass at me." She muttered under her breath as she picked up her pen and began to doodle.  
  
Before Tamahome knew it, he was standing up and his chair was falling to the ground behind him. "He WHAT?!"  
  
Eiken turned his head with a guttural growl. "Keep you're mouth SHUT, Kishuku-dono! Or would you like to join Yuki-dono and me this afternoon?"  
  
Tamahome picked up his seat and apologized with as little remorse as possible. He took his seat again. "Who was this guy?" He demanded.  
  
Miaka shrugged slightly as she continued to doodle absentmindedly. "He had flaming red hair and blazing amber eyes." She brought the back of the pen to her lips, chewing on the end attentively as she looked at her lover out of the corner of her eye.  
  
Tamahome grit his teeth as thought, trying to remember if he had seen anyone of the sort earlier that morning. His eyes narrowed as a picture of a new kid stuck out in his mind. 'I'll find him and take care of that guy!' He vowed to himself before changing the subject.  
  
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Tamahome kissed Miaka goodbye on the forehead before leaving her for her detention. He then began his search for the mysterious redheaded new comer.   
  
Out in front of the school he found the man he was looking for, clutching the neck of a beer bottle in his hands, laughing boisterously. The redhead took a swig before continuing his conversation with the blue-headed fellow beside him whom also held a bottle of beer.   
  
Tamahome's hands formed tight fists as he stormed up behind the young redhead. His voice was low and provoking as he spoke.  
  
"You have some explaining to do, asshole."   
  
To be continued...  
  
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I'd like to state that I have no idea what kind of music any of the characters would listen to. I mean, who really would? I just picked some music that might reflect their attitude that I want to portray and such. Erf. So yeah. Hope you like the first installment!   
  
PS- If anyone has WordPerfect9 or regular old Word for Windows and you know how to make things so they show up in italics, bold, etc...please contact me in some way! I've been trying with the i and the b and they just don't show up. Thank you so much! 


	2. Detention

Disclaimer: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
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"You have some explaining to do, asshole." Tasuki heard a low, provoking voice declare from behind him which caused him to turn his head around.  
  
"Nice ta meet you too, Jackass." Tasuki took a nonchalant swig of the illegal drink that he was grasping in his hand. Feeling the cool, lush liquid flood his mouth and sweep down his throat, he couldn't help but let out a tranquil sigh. He clearly wasn't fazed by the new comer, demanding some sort of information from him.  
  
"You touched Miaka in an inexcusable way, and I intend on making you pay the price for it." Tamahome spoke tenaciously and with a sense of pride. After all, it wasn't everyday that he had the chance to defend his beloved Miaka.  
  
Kôji watched as his redheaded friend handed him his drink before Tasuki completely turned to face the fuming Tamahome.   
  
A surprised grin curved Kôji's lips as he watched his friend's lips smirk with amusement.  
  
"Ya know, Jackass..." Tasuki emphasized Tamahome's new nickname with a small, antagonistic sneer. "Ya really should keep a voluptuous beauty like that one hidden away. That teeny skirt they call a uniform leaves nothing to the imagination." His grin became more noticeable as he spoke his demeaning words, a picture of a fairly attractive Miaka forced it's way into Tasuki's thoughts. In his minds eye, she was giving him a flirtatious and cryptic smile, eyes aglow with passion. He imagined himself advancing on her before the fantasy faded away. One thing he couldn't understand was why he was having these forbidden thoughts.  
  
Within moments of his words, Tamahome's fist had collided with Tasuki's tanned skin. Tasuki staggered backwards with a loud groan of pain. "Fuck...fuck...fuck." He coughed up his words with a bit of blood. The hard punch that had come from his left sent the inside of his cheek into one of his fangs, cutting his gums. But Tasuki wasn't one to loose a fight, and he surely wasn't going to let that one slide.  
  
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Miaka absently drummed her fingers upon her desk, her other hand holding up her head to keep her from dozing off. She heard yelling from outside the closed door, in the congested hallways.  
  
"There's a fight going on outside on the front lawn!" A voice called out. "Between Tamahome and the new kid!"  
  
Green eyes widened in alarm as she stood up, ready to bolt for the door, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. The hand firmly gripped her shoulder and sent a wave of uneasiness throughout her body.  
  
"Sit down, Yuki-dono. You're beloved Kishuku-dono will be alright." A persuasive grin crept across Eiken's plump face as Miaka turned her head to look at her Chemistry teacher. His thick hand made its way down Miaka's side and eventually began to unbutton the front of her uniform as she let out a terrified, glass-shattering scream.  
  
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"MIAKA!" Tamahome let out a yell as a startled shriek spooked him to his very core. He didn't even notice Tasuki's fist that had come to an abrupt stop a few inches away from his face. His gaze had averted away from the fight and towards the Chemistry window where he knew she was.  
  
A surprising feeling of apprehension and uncertainty began to arise in Tasuki's lower abdomen. As he lowered his arm to his side, he looked towards the Chemistry room as well. 'That was Miaka screamin', eh?' He mused as he felt another sudden wave of worry flow throughout him. Before he could realize what was happening, his long legs were carrying him towards another scream that was suddenly cut short.  
  
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Eiken's other heavy hand was now clamped over her mouth. Miaka tried to wriggled and dislodge herself from his constricting grasp, but her feeble attempts did nothing of the sort. He brought her closer to him, pressing her back against his stout front, trying to keep her squirming under control.   
  
He hadn't noticed a blur of molten red flashed in front of him and inconspicuously whisk away his prize. His arms suddenly felt vacant and he looked down in shock, his narrow, beady eyes widening as much as they could.   
  
Eiken's eyes gazed at the doorway where Tasuki stood, Miaka thrown over his shoulder in a most undignified way. Tasuki's hand rested on the back of her thigh, holding her firmly in place and making sure her skimpy skirt wasn't being too revealing.   
  
Tasuki growled as he glowered at Eiken. "Ya won't be workin' here for much longer." And with that he left at breakneck speed down the hallway, racing to a deserted, dark hallway.  
  
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Left with a dumfounded look on his face and two beer bottle's in his hands, Kôji stared after Tasuki's retreating form. 'Somethin's up with that guy. I've never seen him so ready ta help a girl.'  
  
He looked at Tamahome out of the corner of his eye, who seemed just as astounded as he was.   
  
'That damn coward! Using this situation to save his own ass!' Tamahome grumbled angrily to himself 'Tamahome get your ass into gear and go find Miaka to see if she's alright!' He set off to go find Miaka, not knowing that Tasuki had done something so unexpected as to actually save the girl he was hitting on before.  
  
Kôji's look of surprise quickly dissipated as he came to the conclusion that the girl was in safe hand's with his best buddy. 'Tasuki's got his morals. He won't do nuthin' drastic.' He mused with a swig of his beer.  
  
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Miaka felt the male beneath her coming to a stop near a restroom. Her feet came in contact with the hard, tile floor and she leaned back against the lockers. Breathing heavily, she felt tears sting her eyes.  
  
Tasuki hadn't noticed her tears as he set her on the ground. "Hasn't your mother eva told ya not ta seduce your teachers?" His voice held a joking tone as he tried to lighten things up.  
  
Miaka sent him a death glare as a couple of tears rolled freely from her eyes and journeyed down her cheeks. Remorse flourished inside of him as he realized this wasn't the time or place for mockery. And for the first time, he really got to take in her beauty. She had taken down her hair from those childish buns during the course of the day and her auburn hair tousled around her shoulders. Her large green eyes hid behind long thick eyelashes that were currently shimmering with tiny orbs of salty tears.  
  
His eyes bore into hers as bewildering feelings welled up inside him. Lust. Passion. Desire. He pushed a sudden urge to take her lips in his away.   
  
"Are you alright, Miaka?" His concern seemed sincere to her, but she didn't understand the change of heart.  
  
"You're not hurt, are you?" Taking his chances of being slapped, he used his question as an excuse to let his eyes drift over her gentle, yet pronounced, womanly curves. He quickly noticed that her blouse was unbuttoned and her white, lace bra was out in the open along with her soft creamy skin. Amber eyes blazed with candid desire Gnawing on his lip gently, he watched as his trembling hands cautiously went to Miaka's lowest blouse button. He couldn't help but try and get closer to her. Later, he'd be assaulted by insults and maybe a slapped around a bit, but he was unconcerned with that now.  
  
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Tamahome whipped around the corner, violet eyes catching the site of a molten red haired man, touching his beloved.  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Erf. I became lazy with this chapter and made it short. :sigh: Review! :\ Please? I want to know how to make it better! 


	3. Wild Imagination

Disclaimer: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Just as a warning, this might get a little...hmm. Deep? I'd definitely call this more of a PG-13 chapter above the other ones because of a certain red-heads fantasy, foul language and a little brawling. :O  
  
kuroi hane- :D Thank you very much! That means a lot to me. I'm a quick updater when I'm motivated, I guess. ::looks at your profile:: I just have to say, you have great taste when it comes to bishounen! :)  
  
Starry-Serenity- :D Thank you! ^-^ Glad you like it!  
  
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Tasuki couldn't keep his hands in check as they further unbuttoned Miaka's blouse instead of closing it like he had previously planned. His hands shook somewhat as they found refuge on her hips. His fingers gently curved around her sides as his face forged it's path towards hers. Her heavy breathing danced upon his lips as his face lingered centimeters above hers, making his knees feel like jell-o.   
  
In an instant, he possessively took her lips in his and let his eyelids droop until his eyes were fully closed. To his surprise, he ran his tongue over her succulent lips, asking for access to the rest of her mouth. He felt his blood begin to boil, as if it was turning into molten lava. While his stomach twisted into nervous knots, he waiting for what seemed like hours for before her lips parted and access was granted. While a moan of pleasure rumbled in his throat, he let his tongue erotically dance around hers as if trying to entice her own tongue to mingle with his in with a mating dance.  
  
Miaka's arms hung loosely about his neck as her delicate hands entertained themselves with scarlet locks of hair. Tasuki felt her seductively grind her pelvis against his, providing him the promise of further arousal.   
  
A far off, monotone buzzing echoed softly in his ears, gradually becoming louder as the image of Miaka and him faded away in a blur of thick smoke.   
  
Groaning loudly, Tasuki slapped his hand down on his alarm clock in a hopeless attempt to shut off the low-pitched annoyance. Gritting his teeth in frustration as he missed, he tried again, this time succeeding in turning off the persistent buzz. He sat up, letting his comforter drop to his waist as he wiped his forehead clean of his cold sweat with the back of his hand. His gaze traveled from his trembling hands to the blazing sun that was rising outside his window. What was wrong with him? 'Why was I dreamin' 'bout that chick Miaka?' He just couldn't come up with a theory that would satisfy himself. Shaking his head quickly, he tried to shake off his dream, along with a strange feeling of emptiness.  
  
As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, he slid off and to his feet. In silence, he walked over to a mirror that was the sliding door to his closet. He inspected himself in further silence, eyes viewing the bruises that had formed overnight from the previous day's events. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he let his thoughts wander back to the day before.  
  
(flashback)  
  
Tasuki's hand's trembled horribly as they started to button Miaka's blouse. He felt her emerald eyes watching him carefully before wrapping her delicate hands around his and stopped him, prying them away from her shirt.  
  
"I can do that, thank you." Tasuki couldn't tell if he was actually being thanked or if she was being sarcastic, his mind was so flooded with thoughts of him on top of a naked Miaka as well as how much it hurt for him to see her cry. Not understanding the images floating about in his mind, he watched her hands as they fumbled slightly with the small, ivory buttons.   
  
"So, are you al--" He was pushed out of the way by an angry and troubled Tamahome. Tasuki groaned quietly and scowled at Miaka's boyfriend. 'That definitely wasn' jus' ta get me outa the way...'  
  
"Are you okay, my love? You're not hurt are you?" Tamahome ran a strong hand through Miaka's bangs in a loving, affectionate way. Tasuki felt like puking. 'My love? Geeze...' He wouldn't let himself admit that he might have been a tad jealous.  
  
Miaka put on a bright smile. "I'm fine now! If it weren't for that boy over there I don't know what would have happened!" Tasuki let her upbeat voice ring pleasurably in his ears. 'So tha's what she sound's like when she ain't upset.'  
  
"Th' name's Tasuki." He let his eyes close as he bowed his head with a noble grin, very content in the fact that she remembered who had actually come to rescue her. 'Yeah, wasn't you jackass!' His mind yelled at Tamahome in victory.  
  
"Tasuki..." His name rolled off her tongue in the most elegant way that made his heart melt. "Well thank you very much, Tasuki!"  
  
"The pleasure...was mine." While his head rose, he gave a fang-filled grin. Apparently, while he had been bowing, Tamahome's arms had found themselves a snug home around Miaka's slender waist. Internally he was growling, 'I won let the other guy get ta me.' He honestly wanted to let his charm shine through his tough exterior by taking her delicate hand and planting a kiss on it right then and there. The low snarling that was rattling in Tamahome's throat stopped him. He looked at Tasuki as if he was about to bite his head off.  
  
Tasuki figured it was time to leave. "I'll...go report tha' guy to Grandma. Wha' was his name?"  
  
"Eiken-sensei." Tamahome snapped, warning him to leave now or suffer the consequences.   
  
He figured he'd try and work his charm one more time before he left. "See ya 'round, Green Eyes." He let a wide, fangy grin spread across his face as he left, hearing Miaka's faint giggling as he retreated.  
  
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Shoving his hands in his pockets as he left the principals office, he heard 'Grandma' get on the loudspeaker, calling for Eiken to come down to the office. He snickered and headed outside, whistling quietly.  
  
'I hope Koji's still 'round. I need the rest o' tha' beer...' He groaned to himself as he pulled a hand from his pocket and put it to his forehead and shut his eyes tightly. 'This whole day's givin' me a headache. I need ta relax, dammit.'  
  
"Hey, asshole!"  
  
'Aw, fuck.' The unmistakable voice of his new-found rival vibrated his eardrum. "Whaddya want, Jackass?! I just saved your damn girlfriend's ass!" He swung around to confront the antagonist.  
  
"We never solved our own conflict. You know, the one I was going to win before you ran off?!" Tamahome's words enraged him.   
  
'I saved his damn girlfriend! You'd think the lousy fuck would be a lil' thankful!' Tasuki mused to himself as he snarled at his opponent. "COME AND GET ME, JACKASS!" He let out an excited bit of laughter. "I haven't beat the shit outa anyone in a real long time! I'm dying ta get some practice in!"  
  
And with that, Tamahome charged at the ready Tasuki. Speed, being one of Tasuki's abilities, helped him to dodge Tamahome's first blow. Lifting his elbow, he drove it into Tamahome's backside as he charged by. Stumbling a bit, Tamahome whipped around quickly and sent a forceful kick into Tasuki's gut.  
  
As a small stream of blood trickle out the side of his mouth, Tasuki snarled with discomfort. "You're paying for that!"  
  
As he attacked Tamahome, he sent him forcefully to the ground. He straddled him and gave him a jab from the left. With quick reflexes, Tamahome rolled over so he was on top of Tasuki, sending him a few blows to the gut and a jab from the right. Snarling viciously, Tasuki clamped his hands around his opponents neck and Tamahome did the same to him. Both of them choking for air and rolling around in the dirt in front of the school building had definitely caused a scene. Students crowded around in a circle, chanting "fight" as if they were getting ready to sacrifice the two to the gods.  
  
"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" A hoarse, ancient voice echoed shrilly throughout the premises. The students around the two brawling quickly dispersed. "SHUNU-DONO! KISHUKU-DONO! STOP IT NOW!" The principal's voice barked strict order.  
  
Tasuki and Tamahome both let go of each other's neck, but Tasuki wouldn't let him off that easy. He gave Tamahome an elbow to the stomach to push him off before he quickly got to his feet.  
  
"Ya see, Grandma..." He quickly tried to explain his reasons for going into battle with Tamahome, but it wasn't as easy as he thought.  
  
Seized from his thoughts by the principals yelling, his bright amber eyes grew wide. "Don't try to weasel you're way out of this one Shunu-dono!"  
  
He pulled on his tough guy facade. "So where do ya want me, Grandma? Office?"  
  
"Yes!" She snarled as Tasuki gave a mocking salute with a taunting, fangy grin."You too Kishuku-dono!"  
  
"Yes ma'am..." Tamahome mumbled and grumbled as he followed Tasuki and the principal into the large school building.  
  
(end flashback)  
  
Tasuki opened his mouth wide as he gazed into his reflection and his own wolf-like eyes. His tongue entertained itself by gently rolling over his left fang.   
  
His trademark.  
  
He couldn't help but grin and be a bit cocky. But his arrogant attitude quickly dissipated when he realized that he wouldn't be able to show off his captivating physique because of the school uniform.  
  
He snapped the elastic waistband of his flame boxers against his skin with a troubled sigh. He pushed open the closet door and pulled out the black pants to his uniform, tossing them onto his bed. He did the same with his white shirt, black uniform jacket and tie. Changing his boxers, he began to get ready for the day ahead.   
  
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"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck..." Tasuki swore under his breath as he ran down the stairs of his family's apartment, slinging his fairly empty backpack over his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss the..." He stood in the parking lot of his apartment complex, watching with extreme displeasure as the bus drove away. "...bus..." He groaned aloud with his face upturned towards the sky. "The Gods are against me." And with that, he headed off to school on foot to start his first day at a brand new school. 'Detention...the whole week...after school...with that lousy asshole and Grandma. Two hours of it.' He groaned inwardly, wondering whether to skip it, or to just tough it out.  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Phew. I didn't leave it off at a cliffhanger because...well...I couldn't think of something! Arf. Anyway, review and such! I'd love to hear from you! :) 


	4. Chemistry

Disclaimer: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
kuroi hane- Thank you again! :) We all love our naughty bandit don't we? :P  
  
KittyLynne- Thank you for the review! Mean's a lot to me! And if those questions about the plot would result in constructive criticism I would absolutely love to hear them. And I'd just like to state how much I love all of the stories I've seen you write.  
  
MaryDFair- Thank you very much! :) I'm glad you like it!  
  
ame- :D Thank you! And what would Miaka be without Yui to keep her stable, hm? Yui is soon to make an entrance as well as other warriors! ;)  
  
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Miaka grinned playfully as she watched her blonde haired, cerulean eyed companion's cheeks fade from their normal ivory color to a faint shade of scarlet.   
  
"Tetsuya and I are just friends!" Sticking her tongue out in a jaunty fashion, Yui felt confident that she had finally swayed Miaka's thoughts on her and Tetsuya's relationship.   
  
"Alright, Yui-chan. You've convinced me!" Miaka giggled with skeptical amusement. It was clear as day to Miaka that her best friend had some feelings for Tetsuya floating about in that heart of hers. Feelings that weren't strictly platonic. Miaka continued to giggle as Yui looked down at the ground with a sheepish smirk. Yui knew she had finally been caught and there was no denying it any longer.  
  
"Fine! You want the truth, Mi-chan?" Yui spoke up as her friends giggles finally began to subside. They reached their lockers and Yui pretended to study her shiny, ebony school shoes while she tried to find the appropriate words to approach the subject. After all, she didn't want to sound like she was writing a letter to a superstar she was obsessed with. A wave of teasing remarks from her best companion was not what she was looking for. Heaving a sigh, she tried to speak calmly, but the nervousness in her voice gave away how hard it was to talk about the subject. "I...really like Tetsuya..."  
  
"I knew it!" Miaka's voice rung with triumph as she gave her friend a strong hug and an encouraging smirk. "I approve! I say go for it, Yui-chan!"  
  
Cerulean eyes sparkled at her friends acceptance and she couldn't help but giggle along with Miaka and give her a confident hug back.  
  
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Hotohori stood a few feet away at his own locker, marveling at Miaka's beauty from a far. New day. Same old thing. He listened as Miaka's chipper voice danced around him, encircling in a great feeling of warmth. Ah, he cherished that warmth that she graciously granted him. Oh, what he'd do to be in those slender, gentle arms of her's. Letting out a content sigh, he continued to watch the exquisite beauty behind the shelter of his locker door. 'A devine fruit I will never be able to taste.' He mused in the sweet serenity of his mind. Reluctantly averting his gaze from the beauty he teased himself with, he began to stock his backpack with the books he'd need for the day.  
  
As he finished up at his locker, he caught the sight of beauty that approached him. He shut his locker door and watched through golden eyes with a small, content smile as she continued towards him.  
  
"Good morning, Hotohori!" Miaka's eyes closed as her whole face seemed to smile along with her delicate lips. For a second he imagined himself encompassing those full, lush lips with his own, but quickly dismissed those thoughts with a soft chuckle.   
  
"Well good morning, Miaka. How are you today? Doing well I hope." Oh, how much he hoped that she was doing well. He already knew her answer was yes, but he couldn't help but ask. Fear wasn't an emotion he revealed very often, but when it came to Miaka, he just wanted the best for her. Unless there was a good reason, tear's didn't have a right to adorn her long eyelashes or stain her beautiful face. And after yesterday's mishap, he just had to be sure that everything was alright in her world, otherwise his world would come crashing down as well.   
  
Her response was a cheery one. "Of course I am! Thank you for asking." She beamed with confidence, feeling much better about what had happened the previous day. Eiken was gone and they had a sub until they found a replacement.   
  
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An aggravated groan escaped Tasuki's lips from behind a battered schedule. He had to run back into his apartment to retrieve it from yesterday's pair of jeans after he had missed the bus. One quick review of the schedule revealed the number and combination of his locker. His eyes snuck out from behind the worn-out paper and watched as a turquoise haired man turned the meticulously turning the knob to his locker.  
  
Tasuki cleared his throat loudly, clearly annoyed that someone was trying to break into his locker when he hadn't even filled it yet. He began to growl and his temper began to flare, but when the mans smiling face turned to great him, he quieted down quite a bit.   
  
"You must be the fellow I'm sharing my locker with, no da." He carried an air of wisdom about him, clearly enlightened and educated beyond his years. "The name's Chichiri, no da." The front of his hair was spiked up like a mohawk and hung in a large arc over his face while the rest of his hair was secured tightly in a pony tail at the base of his head.  
  
"Tasuki..." He said his name quietly, feeling subdued by the man's outgoing demeanor.   
  
"Oh, you must be the one that got into the fight with Tamahome, no da!"   
  
'New's spreads that quickly 'round here, eh?' A fang crept out from behind his lips as he grinned. Feeling a bit proud that he was already making a name for himself, his response was a cocky one. "That's me! The one 'n only!"   
  
Chichiri saw through Tasuki's hot-headed exterior and smiled warmly. He instantly took a great liking to easily-angered teen. "What do you have first period?"  
  
Tasuki glanced down at the paper in his hands. "Chemistry..." His tone was a gloomy one. Everything having anything to do with learning never was held as much importance in Tasuki's mind.   
  
"Then we have first period together! And since Eiken-sensei was fired, we'll have a sub, no da."  
  
Amber eyes glistened with mischief. "Sub, eh?" A devilish grin found its way onto Tasuki's lips as a single fang once again poked out from behind their protective barrier.  
  
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Chichiri went ahead as Tasuki reached into his backpack, unexpectedly pulling out a small cellular phone. He grinned for a moment but it quickly left his face, leaving him with a hollowed feeling. A sigh escaped his lips, feeling empty. There was something he wanted to search for, something he desperately needed to find. But what was it? His hand encompassed the tiny object roughly as his teeth grinded against each other.   
  
"What's wrong with me?" He mused out loud in the deserted hallway. All the students had gone to class and seeing as it was his first day here, why not make a dramatic entrance. But thoughts of how to arrive late had quickly left him in a state of desolation. He groaned as his teeth continued to grind together in frustration and shoved the cell phone back into his bag before hastily slinging it over one shoulder. Slamming his locker roughly, he let out a bit of his resentment towards the cell phone and the strange feelings it gave him. His forehead came in contact with the smooth surface of his locker's door. The cool surface seemed to relax him, but it couldn't take away the void within him.   
  
'It's 'cause of that damn chick Miaka!' He closed his eyes as he began an argument within the confines of his mind.  
  
'Oh come off it! This has nothing to do with her.' He voiced to himself reluctantly. Deep within himself, he knew damn well that it did, but he was to stubborn to realized that she had tickled one of his nerves in a blatantly pleasant way.   
  
Remembering the feminine sent that had mingled with her faint perfume from yesterday, forced a smile to creep across his dismal features. His spirits lifted as the wall came down, letting himself be reminded of how sweet she seemed to be. 'I'll make her mine...' He vowed to himself in silence with a soft smile which slowly turned into a captivating grin.   
  
Finally lifting his head from the locker, he headed for the bathroom.  
  
Standing in front of a long mirror in the bathroom, Tasuki checked if his appearance looked alright. He pulled his two colorful necklaces out from within the confines of his white dress shirt. 'I don't care what that Grandma said. There's no way I'm gettin' rid of my jewelry.' Plastering a seductive grin on his face, he took in his features. Pulling his tiny pony tail of molten red hair from behind him and slinging it over his shoulder, he thought of how great he made the uniform look. He playfully flicked at one of his earrings that hung limply from his ears. From head to toe, he looked marvelous. His white tee-shirt clung to his strong torso underneath the loose black, button-up jacket which was rolled up at the sleeves. The soft black material of his pants hung loosely around his legs. 'I'm even doin' alright without my boots!' He mused as he thought about another one of his prized possessions. Glancing down at his watch, he realized that he was already 10 minutes late for first period. Groaning, he reluctantly left the school bathroom and headed off to class.   
  
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The sub stood up from behind his desk, gathering a handful of papers in his hands.  
  
"Today will just be a worksheet on getting to know you all better. Since I have accepted this position as a permanent one."   
  
A universal groan echoed throughout the classroom at the teacher's declaration of his new job. The man's long silver hair rolled down his back gracefully. His face was pale and one of his cold, stern eyes was hidden by a black eye patch. Even with the obstruction, he still had an icy, penetrating stare.  
  
That stare shot icy arrows from out of their depths to subdue the displeased groaning. "If you have such a problem with it, switch out of my class. Otherwise, I suggest you keep quiet."  
  
The teenage class read the teacher's name off the board as they respectfully complied with his statement. "Yes, Hikitsu-sensei."  
  
Just as Hikitsu was about to distribute the papers to his students, the door swung open causing everyone's attention to be averted toward the doorway.  
  
His eyes were shadowed, but one of his trademark fangs that clamped over his bottom lip while he grinned gave away his identity. Tasuki casually strolled in, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other tossing Miaka's cell phone into the air. He had no control over what he did next. Not knowing why he was walking towards Miaka, he felt as if he was watching himself from outside his own body. Wandering over towards Miaka, his coy grin widened with bliss.   
  
He gently placed the cell phone on her desk. His palms then flattened on her desk as he leaned over, face becoming level with hers. "I believe you dropped this yesterday when we first met..." The huskiness of his voice danced in her ears and mingled with a teasing tone as well. Miaka couldn't understand if he was trying to flirt or to taunt her. Either way, she hastily grabbed her cell phone and sat back in her chair to create distance between their faces. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit as she mumbled her thanks.   
  
A firm interruption from Hikitsu rang throughout the now silent room. As he finished clearing his throat, his eye met Tasuki's two amber ones. "Shunu-dono, correct?" Hikitsu's eyebrows lurched upwards as he questioned the newcomer. "Have a seat behind Yuki-dono." Inside his temper was rocketing upwards at an alarming rate. 'This boy had the nerve to walk in 15 minutes late to my class and then have a private conversation with one of my students.' He thought as he menacingly watched the boy take his seat.   
  
Tasuki grunted and took his seat behind Miaka. He wasn't quite sure if he should be happy about his seating placement or not. For one thing, he was closer to her warmth and unique, yet intoxicating smell of hers. Closer than he would have been if he was across the room at least. Yes, it was faint with the distance that was now put between them, but it was still there, no matter how faint. He was happy about being this close to her, but wasn't sure if it was a good thing either. Another thing that troubled him was the man who sat next to her. His rival.   
  
Tamahome.   
  
Groaning inwardly, Tasuki thought of how he'd have to witness the stolen glances and flirtatious smiles that would most likely be exchanged between the couple. It was enough to make him sick, although he didn't quite understand why. Letting himself think that it was all too mushy for him, he sighed heavily and tried to relax by leaning back in his chair. Throughout the whole class he unconsciously shifted his weight back and forth in an attempt to ease his stomach as it lurched around in his body.  
  
A set of bronze eyes watched from beside Tasuki, wondering a bit why he hadn't cared to send a greeting his way. Chichiri gazed at him as he fidgeted about in his seat, sensing some emotions he was sure Tasuki didn't even know he harbored. As a small grin played on his lips, Chichiri thought of how much fun it would be to occasionally poke fun at Tasuki for having such feelings. He felt they would become close friends in the upcoming months seeing as how they shared a locker and hoped that Tasuki wouldn't mind his silly childish demeanor, along with his strong, philosophical one.  
  
Another set of eyes, delicate gold ones, watched from across the room. Hotohori exhaled slowly as the class disappeared in a mess of colors and he and Miaka were the only ones left in the room. Imagining his hands weave themselves through her brunette locks as gently as the wind, Hotohori closed his eyes with a content sigh. Suddenly he was pulled from his reverie as gentle words were caught by his ears. Nuriko was whispering to him again. As a sullen sigh escaped his lips, Hotohori gave up on his fantasy and turned to Nuriko, wondering what it was he wanted this time.  
  
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Miaka hated the way the vacant hallways of the school seemed to deepen their gloomy feeling after hours. The shadows appeared as if they were creeping up behind you, just waiting for you to blink so they could swallow you whole. It all gave her a feeling of loneliness.  
  
She had stayed after school to wait for Tamahome who was staying late for extra help. Cruising the halls aimlessly as she waited for her beloved, she let her mind wander off into the secluded paradise of a sweet daydream.  
  
Her daydream didn't turn out to be as pleasant as she'd hoped. She thought about how many times Tamahome had to cancel dates for 'job opportunities that he just couldn't pass up.' Yes, Tamahome had an unusual obsession with money, but shouldn't a date with her be an opportunity in itself? One that was just of equal importance?  
  
Miaka thought about how her life was two years earlier when she had just entered high school. Meeting Tamahome had been like a dream come true and they quickly became friends. At first, she didn't mind the was he treated her like a younger sister, but when she realized her deep feelings for him, she just had to come forward and confess. And that was what she did. Tamahome avoided her for a while which crushed her heart, but when he finally confronted her, things were better than ever. They'd been going out since then and she thought life couldn't get any better. She was doing alright in school (with the help of her best friend Yui, of course) and she had an amazing boyfriend. But up until six months ago, she felt as if her and Tamahome were drifting apart. Tamahome started to treat her like a younger sibling again, even though they were still considered an item. They continued to share the occasional kiss and the exchange of loving smiles, but that was about it. The truth was, Miaka couldn't even remember the last time he had called her on the phone just to chat like he had used to. She missed those phone calls that kept them both up into the wee hours of the weekend mornings.   
  
As much as she refused to believe it, feelings of loneliness were starting to take root inside her heart. What if change is what she needed? 'Don't think like that, Miaka!' She scolded herself fiercely 'You love Tamahome with all your heart!' Miaka decided that she'd ask Tamahome if they could go out together on Saturday. "Everything will be like it used to be." She murmured out loud before a husky whisper met her ears.   
  
"What will, Miaka?" Turning around, her jade eyes met lavender ones right before strong lips encompassed themselves around her own. She closed her eyes as she melted into Tamahome's secure embrace as her previous thoughts seemed to liquify and drip away.   
  
Tamahome pulled his face away from hers slowly. "What were you talking about, Miaka?"  
  
"I was just thinking..." Her eyes opened to watch a sweet affectionate smile as it danced across his lips. That was the smile that made her fall in love with him all over again every time she saw it. It made her feel protected and warm and those were feelings that she didn't think anyone else could provide her with. "Maybe we could go out this weekend? Like on Saturday. We could go out to dinner to you're favorite restaurant."  
  
Because of her words, his smile widened pleasantly. "Of course, Miaka."  
  
Inside she was jumping up and down ecstatically, but her heart was a little weary. After all, she had been hurt and disappointed so many times before, what would make this time any different? She just had to believe.  
  
Her face radiated all of her happiness as they walked hand-in-hand towards the exit.  
  
"So what are you going to do about that Chemistry report." Tamahome inquired. "Hikitsu-sensei did pair you up with that new guy didn't he? Tasuki? Yeah, that was his name." Try as he might, Tamahome couldn't bring himself to talk about the man in a friendly tone.   
  
"Well..I'm supposed to be going over to his house later to decide a topic." As they left, Miaka couldn't understand why her stomach was twisting into nervous knots. Tamahome couldn't understand why jealousy was beginning to well up inside of him.  
  
'Miaka is as loyal as they come. She won't let that scum bag Tasuki do anything to violate her.' The arm he had slung around Miaka's waist tightened possessively around her.  
  
To be continued....  
  
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This chapter was a little longer than my other ones. Phew. It took a little while longer. I had really big problems with writers block. :sigh: But it's all done now. So review, review, review! I'll have another chapter posted soon! 


	5. Home Alone

Disclaimer: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
kuroi hane- :squeezes a Hotohori plushie: I love him and Miaka and him together is my second favorite paring, but you are correct when you say that we can't have him trying to intrude! But I do have some conflict in store. But don't worry! Nothing too big and disastrous will happen. As much as I love Tama, I love him as a warrior, not Miaka's lover. So I can guarantee that his obsession with dealing with his and Miaka's future before what's happening in the present will get in the way, like it does with almost every fic. And all I can say about the time Miaka spends at Tasuki's house, is that a certain bishie will have a hard time keeping his hormones in check ;)  
  
RainbowSerenity- Why thank you! I'm very glad you like it ^-^ Stick our hot tempered bandit anywhere, anytime, anyplace and he'll still be as feisty as ever! That's one of the many reasons why I love him so.   
  
KittyLynne- Ahh. The black hole glitch. Don't worry about! I contemplated whether making Hikitsu the teacher rather than one of the Seiryu seven for a long time, which was one of the reasons why that chapter took so long. But anyway...I knew exactly where you were talking about with Hikitsu's thoughts. I tend to do that sometimes. It's one of those bad habits that I need to break.   
  
I haven't talked about Miaka's feelings yet have I...Le sigh. I have to say, I'm neglecting her and I shouldn't be. This chapter will hopefully show a little more of her feelings.  
  
pretty moon kitty- :scratches back of head and blushes: Yep. Grammatical errors are my specialty. As it says below :points below: The program I use is crummy. Not perfect at all like it says it is. But thank you very much for your review! I'm glad you like it! ^-^  
  
Authors Note- I'm sorry in advance for any grammatical errors that you may see in any of my chapters. I use WordPerfect 9 and it doesn't correct everything that should be corrected. If you see anything that needs to be corrected, please drop me a review or email me at weathered_photoalbums@msn.com  
  
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Large curious green eyes peered out around a small piece of paper and gazed up at an apartment complex that resembled hers. Looking back down at the small paper with directions, Miaka carefully read the writing that was scrawled across it in handwriting that was characteristically messy to a male. Eyeing it carefully, she tried to see if she had read the directions correctly. All to many times had she embarrassed herself with small things such as calling the wrong telephone number because she had read it wrong. Heat rose to her cheeks as she remembered the time when she had thought she had called Tamahome (when the first met of course. By now she had his phone number memorized) and had asked him if he wanted to hang out, only to find out that she had called some random Japanese resident.   
  
Miaka wearily trudged up to the stairs to the lobby of the apartment and over towards the elevator. She gently pushed the up button with a smile on her face and thought about what might happen over the weekend on her date with Tamahome. A sudden jerk of the elevator shocked her out of her reverie and she blushed slightly to herself.   
  
As the elevator jolted to a stop and the doors slowly slid open, Miaka heard boisterous laughter that was being emitted from a small crowd of five young women. When Miaka stepped from the elevator, another older women came into view. Miaka guessed that the older woman was some sort of mother figure. All six women entered the elevator and the loud noise immediately stopped as the elevators doors closed.  
  
Hesitating slightly, Miaka timidly knocked on the door to what she thought was Tasuki's apartment. From within the apartment Miaka heard a loud, aggravated growl before the door cracked open.  
  
"I heard ya before Ma! The food is in the..." Peaking his head out of the crack in the door, Tasuki trailed off as his amber eyes locked on the petite women in front of him. "Oh...It's you, Miaka. Come on in!" As he opened the door completely, Miaka was able to take in Tasuki's appearance. He wore his slightly baggy blue jeans a little lower around his waist then they should have been, exposing a bit his plaid boxers. Miaka wondered if her cheeks glowed red with mortification as she caught herself staring at the bare skin of his torso where a tee shirt should have been. She just couldn't help it, he was well built for only a boy of 17 and she guessed he probably worked out in his spare time.  
  
Tasuki noticed her eyes upon him and smirked slyly. Turning and heading for his room, he felt her eyes on his back. "I'll be right back. I just have to get a shirt on." He could have sworn he heard a faint gulp. "Just make yourself at home!" His voice faded away as he closed the door to his room.  
  
Miaka relaxed as she sat down on the living room couch. Feeling the soft cloth conform to her body was enough to drive away her embarrassment and get rid of the tension that was building in her body. For some reason, when her eyes had lain upon Tasuki's bare skin, she felt like she had committed a horrible crime. Getting lost in her thoughts as she closed her eyes, she didn't notice Tasuki come in fully clothed.  
  
"Before we get started, would ya like anything ta eat? It's almost dinner time n'…" Tasuki started but was quickly interrupted by an overjoyed squeak. Miaka's orbs of delight opened wide as she jumped off the couch.  
  
"Do you have any cookies? I haven't eaten since before I headed over here." Clasping her hands together in a display of blissful merriment, Miaka started rambling on about how long it had been since any sweets had had the chance to take a journey to satisfy her stomach.   
  
Raising an eyebrow out of fascination and curiosity, Tasuki watched with a soft chuckle of amusement. "Yeah, sure. Whatever satisfies tha' stomach of yours." Tasuki headed for the kitchen with a jumpy Miaka in tow, wondering about how big this girl's stomach was. She had said that she had just eaten a few minutes ago, before she had left for his apartment. Already she was asking for more food? Shaking his head slightly with another low chuckle, he walked to the far end of the kitchen and opened the door to one of the cupboards in which the sweets were kept. "Ma just went shopping. So yer in luck."  
  
Another squeak rung throughout the small kitchen as Miaka tried to reach for the jar of cookies on the top shelf. Hearing a sigh of disapproval from beside her, heat rose to her cheeks out of embarrassment from her petite size. Tasuki's strong arm passed hers as he reached out for the cookie jar and their skin brushed up against each other's. The sudden and unexpected brush of skin caused her cheeks to deepen in their rouge color.   
  
"I'm sorry for the trouble of feeding me. Mom and Keisuke-kun hide the sweets from me in the apartment." She watched his hands as they brought down the heavy clay jar and placed it on the counter, unscrewing the top.   
  
Tasuki shot her a small smirk. "Ya owe me one." Being someone who just loved to joke around, he just couldn't help but try and play games with her. Plus, she seemed like the kind of girl to joke around with him.  
  
As she leaned in close to him, she felt like she was having an out of body experience while she watched her body act on its own. Lips twisting into a smirk, Miaka wondered why she wasn't holding herself back. Normally, she wasn't even this straightforward with Tamahome! "That's what you thi--"  
  
Tasuki's smirk widened as he popped a cookie onto her mouth while it was open. "Why don't we take these," He held up the jar of cookies as he spoke, "and your books into my room. We can work in there."  
  
Miaka's eyes blinked rapidly for a moment, wondering what he was talking about. She had completely forgotten the Chemistry project, the whole reason she was there. "Of course!"  
  
Waiting in his room for Miaka, Tasuki placed the jar of cookies on his desk and did a once over of his room. The twin size bed was set in the corner of his room. His desk sat perpendicular right next to his bed with a computer sitting on top of it. It wasn't the best, fastest computer, but it did its job.   
  
He winced slightly as his eyes looked over the disheveled bed and a small clutter of clothes scattered across his floor. Being in a rush that morning, he didn't have time to properly clean up like he normally would have done. No, he wasn't a neat freak but he did like to keep his possessions in order.   
  
Tasuki quickly gathered all of the clothes that were randomly scattered across his room. Tossing them in the closet to just get them out of sight, he sighed and walked over to his bed. He was straightening out his sheets as Miaka found her way into his room.   
  
Walking over to him and his bed, she dropped her big yellow backpack down on his bed. "So…" She shuffled over to his desk and shoved a cookie in her mouth as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk.   
  
"I was thinkin'…how 'bout we just do a report? Seems easy enough, dontcha think?" Tasuki sat down on his bed in a boyish fashion. His legs hung over the side wide open as he leaned back on his bed. Miaka had turned around and shoved another cookie into her mouth while she turned on his computer. This gave Tasuki time to take in her appearance.  
  
Miaka was still wearing her school uniform that gave him a great view of her rear as she leaned down to switch on the computers base that sat on the floor under his desk. He cocked his head to the side slightly as he continued to gawk, eyes traveling up her sides. Lucky for him, Tasuki had a loose fitting shirt on along with loose fitting jeans; otherwise he would have been in big trouble. Just looking at her aroused him a bit. He crossed his arms and rested them on his knees as he leaned forward; closing his eyes as he let the combination of her unique feminine sent and perfume intoxicate him as it passed through his nostrils. Her sent was just like how he had imagined in his dream, pleasing and not overbearing. Before he knew it, his mind was wandering off into his dream world again, imagining his body pressed against her cool skin.   
  
A soft 'ehem' snapped him out of his reverie, and his amber eyes opened to meet curious, worry-filled green ones. Jumping slightly at their closeness, Tasuki leaned back, fearing that if he stayed that close, he might actually try and make his dreams a reality. He kept trying to remind himself that they had only just met, that she had a boyfriend, but a voice in the back of his head kept telling him that those things shouldn't be a problem. The voice talking was the bad-boy side of him, the side of him that he let loose during his time in the US. All the girls back in his city in the US were attracted to his flaming red hair and crisp amber eyes, and he had used that to his advantage. But with Miaka, he felt something different, his compassionate side seemed to seep through his tough exterior and he wanted something more. He wanted to please her along with protect her and he didn't understand it. All of a sudden, her comfort and happiness came first.   
  
"Are you okay, Tasuki? You suddenly got quiet." Oh, the way his named rolled of her tongue. It sounded so beautiful when she said it, making Tasuki's internal struggle between his conflicting emotions hard to subdue.   
  
Finally, lust won over his good intentions, but they weren't ready to just give up the fight. Instead of just pulling her face to his, Tasuki decided to use the Chemistry report to get closer to her. A grin spread across his lips as he stood up and walked behind the chair that Miaka was now sitting in. "'Course I am, Mi-chan!" He pushed the chair in a bit, sliding her closer to the computer. Leaning in close behind her, he set one hand on the desk to one side of her by the keyboard. His other hand grasped the mouse on the other side of her. He moved his head so it was right next to hers as he looked at the computer screen. "Let's get started. We don't have all night, now do we?" A grin continued to dance upon his lips.  
  
Meanwhile, Miaka's insides were twisting into nervous knots. Did he know what he was doing to her? She was having conflicting emotions herself. What was she doing being this close to another man? And why did she feel the need to get closer? Her relationship with Tamahome was going great! They went out…almost never. Maybe it shouldn't have come to such a surprise to her that she was a bit attracted to Tasuki physically. Tamahome and her hadn't indulged in any of their lustful desires in how long? Miaka wasn't even sure if Tamahome had any lust left for her.   
  
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About an hour later, a ringing cell phone interrupted the laughter and merriment. Tasuki had changed positions around Miaka several times as they researched for their Chemistry project, but had stayed relatively close. She stood up and walked over to the bed with a sigh and pulled her cell phone out of her backpack. Taking one quick look at the caller ID screen was enough to send her emotions into a conflict all over again. It was Tamahome. She glanced at Tasuki who was giving her a curious look.   
  
"Sorry, I have to take this." She apologized as she exited his room, walking down the hallway and into the living room, leaving Tasuki alone to ponder about the past hour.   
  
Flipping open the phone, Miaka pressed the speaker to her ear. "Hey, Tamahome." She spoke with a smile and joy in her voice.   
  
"Hello, Miaka. I called to talk to you about this Saturday." Tamahome's voice rung in her ears, his words causing her mouth to twist into a frown. She already knew the words that he would say next. "I'm going to have to cancel." Her mouth silently formed those words along with him in a mocking fashion. Letting out a heavy sigh, Miaka listened quietly as she waited for an explanation. When no more words met her ears, she put a hand on her hip in a display of annoyance and frustration.  
  
"What's the reason this time?" Her voice buzzed with the choler she was feeling inside.   
  
"You know that I'm a senior this year..." Tamahome spoke softly into his telephone, feeling her anger radiate through the speaker that was pressed up against his ear. "My father is taking me on a little road trip to check out some universities."  
  
A long silence loomed over their heads as Miaka sorted things out. She mused about how he was always canceling a date. Yes, it bothered her that he was always canceling, but what really made her cross was that he never took the initiative to establish another one. It was then that it really sank in. She had always felt that in a relationship, both people gave their all to try and make everything work. They would sacrifice thing's to make each other happy. Since when had he sacrificed anything for her happiness and comfort? As far as she remembered, it had been a very long time. She was always prepared to do anything to salvage their relationship, but maybe she was the only one who felt that way.  
  
Tamahome's voice broke the silence. "I'm doing it for us, Miaka. I've got to go to collage so I can get a good job and earn a living for the both of us..." His voice was even softer than before, trying to give her a sense of comfort. "You know that I love you."  
  
His words took her anger and frustration and turned them into guilt and regret. How could she have gotten angry with him for something so minuscule? 'Maybe it's the fact that he is always walking all over you.' An angry voice echoed inside her head. "I know you do, Tamahome. Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you in school tomorrow, bye!" And with that, she hung up.  
  
For the first time in a long time, Miaka did not confess her love for Tamahome to him. This left her, as well as Tamahome, in shock. Sighing and closing the phone, Miaka made her way back into Tasuki's room, plastering a smile on her face. Inside, she was still irritated with the thought that she was the only one who wanted to commit themselves to their relationship. Tamahome was looking far into the future, but what about now?   
  
Tasuki was deep in thought, sitting on the ground and leaning up against his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. His crossed arms were laid across his knees with his eyes closed. In the time that Miaka was gone, he had admitted to himself that he definitely was attracted to Miaka, in a way he was never attracted to a girl before. He didn't know why, but parts of him still wanted to deny it to protect himself from pain and sorrow. After all, she was still with Tamahome and they didn't seem like they would be breaking up any time soon. Since he couldn't fathom his own feelings for Miaka, how could he ever understand Tamahome's feelings for her? Yes, he had vowed to himself that he would make Miaka his, but his morals restricted him from ever doing so as long as she was with him. Another thing that troubled him was how quickly this change of emotions had occurred. Already his feelings were strong and he hadn't even known Miaka for a week. All he really knew was that he needed to get to know Miaka better.  
  
Miaka sat down next to Tasuki, pulling her knees up to her chest just like him; only she wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them close. She leaned her head on its side, down on her knees as she watched him. "You alright, Tasuki?"  
  
Eyes fluttering to life, he glanced at her with a surprised look. He hadn't realized that she had come back in. A small smile flashed across his lips as he nodded once. "Yeah. Jus' thinkin', Mi-chan."  
  
A grin flourished upon Miaka's lips, her troubles with Tamahome seeming to melt away more and more with every moment she spent with Tasuki. "Don't think too hard. You don't know what could happen with that small, fragile brain of yours."   
  
Tasuki's smile transformed into a playful grin as he took her chin in his fingers like he did when they had first met, bringing his face close to hers. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sure you stole those words out of someone else's mouth." He realized all too late that his words, along with his husky tone of voice, might make his feelings for her more apparent, and he didn't want her to reject him.   
  
Miaka's hormones kicked into high gear and she found herself not knowing what to do. She felt like she was sitting with Tamahome, about to kiss him. But then she realized that Tamahome never teased her like this, which brought on a surprising feeling of heavy disappointment. Tasuki's teasing was sweet and in some strange way it made her feel like she was wanted. He made her feel comfortable and like she was able to be herself. This past hour that they had spent together made her feel as if she'd known him for all of her life. Excuse the cliché, but that's how it was. In a short amount of time, she felt as if she could be open with Tasuki. She wanted to be able to feel comfortable enough to tell her loved one anything. Could she do that with Tamahome? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that when she was with Tamahome, she felt like he didn't want to be bothered with her problems. Like they would be a heavy burden on his shoulders.   
  
So many things were happening at once inside of her head and she couldn't deal with it. Her love for Tamahome kept on surfacing as she mused. Yet, she continued to think about Tasuki as well. Underneath that bad boy facade, Tasuki seemed like a sincere, straightforward man with many morals. It appeared as if he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to, that he would let her be independent, yet protect her. 'Why are you even thinking like this, Miaka?! You're in a relationship already! You are neither single, nor are you looking!' But she wasn't listening to her conscience anymore. Instincts took control of her body as all of her conflicting thoughts and emotions died away. All she knew was that she was in a room with a heavenly looking guy. And she was actually being treated like a woman for once! Closing the gap between their faces, Miaka's eyes flickered shut as her lips gently pressed against Tasuki's.  
  
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Tamahome stared at the phone that he held in his hands, dumbfounded. What had just happened? Miaka had always told him how much she loved him before she hung up. Every time that they went their separate ways for the day, she had always made sure he knew how much she loved him. What had made this time different, he didn't know. Jealousy welled up inside him as he thought it had something to do with that fiery headed jackass that she was with.   
  
He was probably filling his darlings head with words that were vacant, nothing but lies. Those words, he knew, would get in between them and pull them apart. He would do everything in his power to not let that happen.  
  
What was he thinking? Their love was strong enough to withstand anything. Especially just a few empty words. He grit his teeth in annoyance, mostly with himself for thinking that Miaka would ever let another mans words sway her feelings. Angrily setting down the phone, Tamahome walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to his father's room, his hand forming an aggravated fist before he tapped his knuckles against the wooden door. He desperately needed approval from his father; he needed to know that what he was doing was right.  
  
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It was as if an electrical circuit had been closed and electricity was allowed to flow freely between the two of them. Tasuki wondered if Miaka felt the sparks that were flickering to life where their lips had connected. Lust that had been kindling deep in his abdomen the whole day was now spreading through his body like a wildfire. Desire coursed through his veins, tickling his skin as it replenished his muscles and skin with warmth. The fact that her lips had now parted ever so slightly, didn't help in the controlling of his libido. He needed to act fast and pull away from her face, but things were a lot easier said than done. How could he deny the chance he was being given? The chance to have his tongue gently caress hers? Could he give up what ever else may follow?   
  
What was he thinking, anyway? She had a boyfriend. But...then why was her lips pressed against his?  
  
All thoughts of her boyfriend were completely lost as part of Tasuki's mind struggled to keep control over his limbs. The other half tried vigorously to move his hands to Miaka's body. He wanted to touch her milky skin. To caress it. Every inch of her. To put it bluntly, he wanted to be on top of her clothesless body as she writhed beneath him in complete pleasure.  
  
Before he knew what had happened, his eyes were closed and a soft moan had escaped his lips and collided with the soft, lush ones that were pressed against his. His tongue swept into her mouth, uniting with hers in an act of courtship. Capturing her cheek with his hand, he let his tongue gently slide further into her mouth as he tilted his head tenderly. Gingerly leaning over her body, Tasuki was careful not to break the kiss as he placed his hand on her thigh that was furthest from him. With a bit of clever maneuvering, Tasuki was able to slyly bring her leg over his.   
  
Miaka was too busy being amazed at how incredible it felt to have Tasuki's tongue wondering over every feature of her mouth to even realize that she was now straddling his waist. Staying on her knees as she pressed her torso against his, she felt his determined hand as it roamed around on the back of her thigh, traveling up her skirt to her rear.   
  
Blood boiling with passion and confidence, Tasuki slowly pulled away. Although his tongue had gently slipped from her mouth, he wasn't ready to stop yet. He slowly left a trail of butterfly kisses down her jaw line, delicately pressing his moist lips to her heated skin as he continued down her neck.  
  
"Tasuki..." A faint whisper blossomed from Miaka's lush, reddened lips. "Don't..."  
  
Although her lips were saying one thing, her actions urged him to go on. Pleading for more, her head shifted back to give him better access to her neck. She couldn't believe what she was doing. Giving Tasuki an all-access pass to her body was absolute ludicrous. She was being ridiculous, forcing a handsome male to kiss her. Why did she press her lips to his, anyway. It wasn't like she liked him.  
  
Miaka was ignoring all the distinct signs of lust and desire. She had felt it too, the collision of intense passion and adoration when their lips had made contact with one another, but she pushed those thoughts and emotions to the back of her mind. Tamahome was her love. And she would be with him forever.  
  
Tasuki's lips hugged the curve of Miaka's neck one last time. He savored every last moment that his lips were pressed against her hot, soft skin. Every moment was pure, heavenly bliss. Opening his eyes, he gazed at her creamy skin drowsily. It had been a long day and his mind was swimming.  
  
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Laying across his bed on his front, Hotohori gently stroked his long ebony hair. 'It's just my luck that I get paired with the man that thirsts for me.' He mused silently as his majestic eyes darted back and forth over the text book before him. The feminine, violet-haired male was snuggling next to him was beginning to become a little too close for comfort. Nuriko was propping his head up with his hands and felt the need to nuzzle Hotohori's shoulder with his cheek.   
  
Hotohori had had just about enough. But when his crisp golden eyes locked with Nuriko's light plum, his frown faltered. Not wanting to hurt Nuriko's feelings, he forced his frown into a somewhat pleasant smile. 'He's not that bad looking...' Hotohori pondered within the confines of his mind. 'But I am defiantly more elegant and beautiful than he.' Gently twirling a lock of silky hair around his index finger, he went back to the book in front of him.  
  
After a few moments, Nuriko's tender voice interrupted the silence. "So what do you think of that new kid? Tasuki was his name, right?"  
  
An image of the male with molten hair flashed in front of him. Tasuki's radiant eyes flashed as a cryptic grin was dispersed across his mouth. Hotohori mentally grimaced in disgust as he remembered how straightforward he seemed to have been with Miaka that morning in school. He found it revolting that Tasuki was warming up to Miaka so quickly. Tasuki had no right to, Miaka was his.   
  
Keeping with his suave facade, Hotohori merely shrugged as he carelessly flipped to the next page in the textbook.   
  
Nuriko eyed Hotohori closely. He wasn't stupid, he knew all too well Hotohori's feelings for Miaka. Nuriko secretly despised Miaka for that, even though they were good friends. Of course, those feelings of hatred were coupled with his feelings of love and adoration. Yes, he was attracted to Hotohori, but Miaka always had that cheerful attitude. She could light up a room with merely a wave of her hand; everyone seemed to flock to her. 'Another rival in love...' Nuriko mused silently.  
  
"You don't like him do you..." Nuriko's soft voice echoed in Hotohori's ears.  
  
"Well...I .... He seems like a nice guy..." Mumbling under his breath, Hotohori turned another page with aggravation. It was besides the point that he hadn't completed the other page. He just needed something to focus his mind onto. Something other than Miaka. And the new male that seemed to be competing for Miaka's heart.   
  
It was then that Hotohori declared to himself that he would make Miaka his, just like Tasuki had done. Plus, he was the heir to Konan Inc., the largest, most profitable company in Japan. He could give Miaka anything her heart desired and that Tasuki didn't have the power to do that. He could make her live like a princess, which is how he believed she should be treated, with utmost care. 'She deserves everything in the world, and I could give it to her.'  
  
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Miaka stood in front of the mirror inside Tasuki's bathroom, tenderly touching her lips. They still tingled with the taste of him. Staring at herself in the mirror, she watched as she moved her tongue across her lips, savoring the last bit of devine sugar that had adorned her lips. He had tasted so sweet, yet so mischievous.   
  
'Something is wrong with me. Why has Tasuki struck a nerve with me?!' Her thoughts rang loudly inside of her head. Along side those thoughts, crept a small voice. 'Tasuki will offer you more than you could ever dream of. More than Tamahome can offer...' Shutting her eyes tightly, Miaka shook her head recklessly to wipe her mind clean of her conflicting thoughts. She gripped the sides of the porcelain sink before her tightly to steady herself.  
  
Meanwhile, down the hall Tasuki sat on his bed leaning back on his hands. As he stared up at the ceiling, he became lost in thought. Closing his flashy eyes, he let himself fall back onto his bed. His molten red hair followed, his bangs shadowing his eyes.   
  
"I should never have made a move on her." Tasuki mused softly.  
  
After a few more thoughtful moments in silence, his brilliant eyes opened and he sat up. He was starting to get worried about Miaka, so he decided to go check up on her.  
  
As he made his way out of his room and down the hallway, he continued thinking. He had forced himself on her and that wasn't what he wanted to do. He didn't want to make her feel bad, he wanted to make her happy, to comfort her. So that's what he was going to do, apologize for what he had done.  
  
Hesitation plagued him as he got to the end off the hallway. Standing before the bathroom door, he suddenly felt the need to run. But he'd have to make things right between them. After all, he didn't want things to be awkward between the two of them. If he couldn't be her lover, the least he wanted was to be her friend.   
  
He knocked on the closed bathroom door with much apprehension. "Mi-Miaka?" He cleared his throat before going on. "Are you alright?"  
  
Opening her emerald eyes, Miaka glanced at the door before opening it slowly. Smiling slightly, she nodded at Tasuki.  
  
"Listen. I uh," Tasuki stared nervously at his feet as his mouth fumbled with his words. "I'm really sorry...'bout before. Back in my room I mean. I...dunno wha' came over me. I...can...can we still be friends? W-we...can pretend nothin' happened." He felt butterflies manifesting themselves in the pit of his stomach. He could imagine them floating up his throat and flittering out of his mouth.   
  
To her surprise, Miaka found his fidgety behavior bringing a smile to her face. Was it possible for a guy like him to be so incredibly sexy and adorable at the same time? Miaka shook her head mentally to rid herself from those treacherous thoughts.  
  
Throwing her arms around him, Miaka beamed her approval. "Of course, Tasuki."   
  
Tasuki lifted his head as his eyes widened in astonishment. "R-really?" His arms hung limp at his sides as he was squeezed.  
  
"Mhmmmm." Miaka was so happy that it had come down to this. Thing's weren't turning out to be as awkward as they could have been.  
  
A smile cracked upon Tasuki's lips as he timidly put his arms around the petite form in front of him Thing's were looking up for him and he couldn't help but be happy. "Thank you." He mumbled softly as he held Miaka a bit more closely and tightly.   
  
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The following day, things were going off without a hitch. First period Chemistry went well and all the classes after that did too. Until lunch came around.   
  
Tasuki hadn't bothered going to lunch the previous day, so he didn't know who he had it with. He had just wandered around the school a bit to get used to its layout a bit more.   
  
As he opened the double doors and stepped inside, his eyes surveyed the surrounding tables and their occupants. He was praying to the gods that he would know someone in the room when suddenly a feminine voice met his ears. It was then that he noticed all the eyes that were on him throughout the cafeteria. He felt like yelling out, "Yes I'm tha new guy! Now will ya please leamme the fuck alone!" but a maiden had caught his eye.  
  
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Tasuki sauntered over towards Miaka with a small grin playing on his lips. Standing at the front of the table, Miaka and Tasuki exchanged greetings before Miaka turned to her fellow table-mates. Tasuki recognized a few faces.  
  
Tasuki flashed a smile at Chichiri and his smile flourished into a wide grin as he spotted Kouji all the way at the end of the table. At least there wouldn't be any dilemma's with Kouji and the few new friends he was making.  
  
Miaka, who was oblivious to the conflict brewing between Tasuki and Tamahome, started by introducing her boyfriend.   
  
"This is my boyfriend Tamahome. I think you've met him already." Miaka smiled sweetly at Tamahome as she identified him with a wave of her hand. Tasuki gave an irritated nod as he acknowledged his presence.   
  
"This," Miaka gestured towards the platinum blonde across from Tamahome. The girl's big cerulean eyes glanced up towards the hot-headed boy next to her best friend. She offered Tasuki a smile as Miaka continued. "is my best friend Yui-chan."  
  
Tasuki offered back a smile as Miaka continued. "That," Miaka began as she motioned towards a dark-haired male. The boys bright caramel eyes flashed emotions of jealousy as he looked towards the newcomer and gave a delicate, formal nod. "is Hotohori." Tasuki wondered why he was being given a look like that as he nodded politely in return.  
  
Gesturing across from Hotohori, Miaka pointed out Chichiri as someone he already knew. She quickly moved onto a lavender haired male that Tasuki immediately thought was a women, even though he was dressed in a males uniform. The light maroon eyes that watched him behind thick eyelashes smiled along with the boys lips as he gave a small not while being introduced. "That is Nuriko."   
  
Tasuki's eyes followed Miaka's hand as she motioned towards a very tall male with short, jet-black hair. His dark eyes glanced up towards Tasuki and he offered a very small smile. "That is Mitsukake."  
  
"And next to him," A small boy with coral colored hair and olive green eyes smiled childishly up at Tasuki. "is the boy genius, Chiriko." Tasuki smiled and nodded at both Mitsukake and Chiriko. They all seemed nice. Even Tamahome, he admitted. 'If we weren't fightin' for tha same woman, I'm sure we'd be friends.' Tasuki thought to himself.   
  
"Nice ta meet all of ya!" Tasuki flashed a fang-filled grin before striding down towards Kouji at the end of the table. Stealing Kouji's bottle of beer, he quickly took a swig before glancing down at the end of the table, eyeing Miaka for a moment before getting into an in-depth conversation with his own best friend. He didn't know it, but Miaka glanced at him out of the corner of her eye every now and then throughout the lunch hour. But her glances didn't go unnoticed by Tamahome.  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Well there we go!  
  
This chapter was a little longer than the last few.  
  
And it took a little longer to write (sorry!)  
  
But I tried putting a lot more effort into it.  
  
Did it work?  
  
Review please ^-^  
  
Oh! I almost forgot.  
  
I've got two more ideas for two more Fushigi Yûgi TasukixMiaka fics.  
  
I'm afraid to start them because I'm afraid that I'll start lagging big time in all of them.  
  
:sigh: Advice? 


	6. Unexpected

_**Disclaimer**: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended._

**kuroi hane**: - Indeed I have! Miss me? Hehe, well if they do try something dumb, don't take it out on them! Take it out on the evil fanfic writer who's making them do whatever she pleases. :seen behind the scenes with an evil grin: Hehe, I shale keep his address a secret! Me and him have some business to take care of! ;) Aha! Just kidding. I'll share it with you.. :whispers it in your ear: And of course they will have more encounters. More intimate encounters. :elbow elbow nudge nudge: And don't worry. I won't be cruel to Hoto-kun. I plan to hook him up with someone in the future! :D I love Nuriko to death. And she loves Miaka as a friend, and well...a little more. So she might try something a little sneaky. She might not. You'll just have to wait and see! Awww! 33333 :huggles you because of how sweet you are: I'm so happy you like my story. And I'm flattered that you think so highly of it! And everybody's notes (including yours!) have convinced me to start a new story! :) I'm currently in the process of a nice long first chapter.

**pretty moon kitty**: Thank you for your review! - I'm glad I'm making some people happy with it! :D And I've taken everyone's advice and started a new TasMiaka fic. :)

**KittyLynne**: Wheee. Another long note from you! I look forward to your reviews. Thank you so much for your opinions. It means a lot to me! And when Tasuki broke off the kiss early, you figured out exactly what he was doing. I guess I should have mentioned a bit of his reasons for doing so. Heh. And you're right, only time will tell how Hotohori and Nuriko play their parts in the upcoming chapters. I can say that they will become a bigger factor in how the story progresses. 3333 And I love your constructive feed back! It's what I live for! Just like how Miaka hungers for food! Mmm, and I know exactly what you mean. I've got to pay attention to that, don't I? Sometimes I get so distracted that I don't know what I'm describing anymore. Strange, I know! And I tend to write into the wee hours of the morning. I guess those things contribute to how stiff my writing tends to be, which is something I hope to work on in the future. And I probably should go back and read everything over again before posting it. I can never get enough TasMiaka stories either! And when I stumbled across yours a couple of months ago, I was so excited! I know I haven't reviewed any three of your stories (I'm a proud reader of Burned as well.), even though I love them so much. I guess you could say I'm a bit shy? I have joined you're Yahoo Group as well. But I haven't made an appearance there either (okay I'll stop blabbing!) And I'd like to say that I am gladly following your advice. I've already started one fic and I am finished with the first chapter. Over all, I'd like to thank you again for your review, advice, and opinions!

**RainbowSerenity**: - Thank you! I figured that they just had to kiss. It would be wrong if they didn't! Right? Hehe. Hotohori is a naughty boy. I'm hoping to cover more time with him and the other characters. I've been focusing my a lot of my time on Tamahome, Tasuki and Miaka. There's no problem with that, but I can safely say that ALL of the other characters will play a HUGE roll in this story. I pretty know what will happen in the end and I'm hoping it will pull a few tears from peoples eyes. XD Well I can dream can't I? And I have already found the time to start a new story. It is well in the works. I'm still fiddling with some things, but it should be up as soon as I get a few chapters done (I am taking advice from KittyLynne).

**xkuroxshinobix**: - Thank you! I'm glad you do.

**neokosazume**: :D Thank you! I was hoping people would like the idea and I'm glad people do. :) And I've started to read your story and I like!

**yuyufan kurama**: Thank you so very much. - Tasuki's a sweetie. And you've gotta love Hiei! :)

_And happy very belated birthday to Tasuki. :X I'm really late (almost a month late but shhhhhhhhh). I know. My deadline for this chapter was his birthday but seeing as I was at a three day concert that weekend...it was a bit impossible. And then, well. I just got really lazy and my computer started to be mean and freezing a lot. But without further adieu, I give you the sixth chapter of CIAWOL_

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"You want me to what?!" Miaka had asked her lover who stood in front of him. It was a week after the kiss she shared with Tasuki and it was still on her mind. Even though they had both agreed to forget about it. It just felt too right to forget.

Even though the two teen's had decided to keep the kiss a secret, their sudden closeness didn't go unnoticed by Tamahome. All week he watched the two of them laugh while they walked down the hall to their next class together. Finally he got the courage to tell Miaka what he'd been dying to tell her.

"You heard me. I don't want you hanging out with that Tasuki guy anymore." His voice was very firm as he spoke. He didn't want his love hanging out with another guy more than she hung out with him. After all, whose girlfriend was she anyway? His. That's whose.

Miaka stomped her foot on the ground in protest as she put her hands on her hips. Tamahome wanted to smile. She always looked so cute when she was angry. "But he and I are friends! Plus, we have to work on our Chemistry project together. We are partners you know!"

"But you're not going out with him! You're going out with me!" He growled angrily at her response. What could he say? He was a jealous boy who wanted his girlfriend all to himself. Plus he had a feeling that Tasuki had the hots for Miaka and he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. He wasn't going to give her up period.

Tamahome let a sigh escape his lips as he finished recalling what had happened earlier that day. He had begun to loose his patience with her and her persistence. And he had his own Chemistry project to do.

"Tama-kins, are you listening to me?" Tamahome was brought back to reality by a soft voice whispering in his ear. He realized that he was on his stomach laying across his bed. Looking over, he observed in the female specimen before him.

His eyes peered into her deep violet ones and caught a blush as it painted her pale cheeks. "Yes Xi Fang. I'm listening." A soft smile tugged at his lips as he spoke. Tamahome watched as she flung a few braided locks of indigo hair over her shoulder and looked back down at the Chemistry textbook.

After a few minutes of Xi Fang explaining a couple of passages in the text book, things became quiet. Tamahome was deep in thought about Miaka and him so he didn't even notice as Xi Fang snuck a little closer to him. When he felt a shiver run up his spine he thought nothing of it, assuming it was only because he felt a little chilly. But then he felt a hand creeping up his back slowly. He turned his head to look at the girl next to him, only to find that her face had advanced towards his. The space between them was now barely even there and he found himself trying to shrink away from her.

What was she doing trying to make a move on him like this? More questions flooded his mind as her small mouth inched towards his. Realizing he was against the wall and had no place to go, he tried to move his head away. It was then that he acknowledged the fact that her hand was on his cheek, keeping his face right where it was. He panicked. What was he supposed to do? He was trapped and he had no place to go.

Feeling her bare leg slowly rub up against his, his heart began to race. Her petite foot began to hike his pants up his leg as she continued to play around, enjoying every moment of it and thinking he was too.

In a split second, the world around Tamahome changed as it came crashing down on him. Xi Fang's lush lips collided with his own and for some reason, his eyes began to close. He didn't know what this fluttering feeling in his stomach was, but all thoughts of it were wiped from his mind as he heard the turning of his doorknob.

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Tasuki let out a sigh as he opened the door to his family's apartment. As he ran a hand through his wind blown hair, he thought of how it had been a long day. But the time he had spent with Miaka stuck out in his mind and that wasn't coming as quite a surprise to him as he thought it would. He was getting used to the fact that he had strong feelings for the girl with the green eyes.

The site of her face brought a smile to his lips as he shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen, which oddly enough reminded him of Miaka. He thought of how much she loved to each and how many meals she per day as he set down his backpack at the kitchen table. As he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a few snacks, his thoughts continued to flood with images of Miaka. From pictures of her all decked out in imperial garments or to portraits of her scantily clad within his arms.

As he made his way out of the kitchen and into the living room, he heard and urgent knocking on the door. He looked up at the VCR in the room only to be greeted with the infamous flashing numbers that read twelve o'clock. How long had it been since they had gotten that VCR? He stared as the green numbers continued to flash.

'Green...' He thought, thinking of Miaka again with a smile on his face. Then he heard the desperate knocking at the door again. 'I've got it bad.'

"Hold on!" he called out towards the door as he set down his food on the coffee table and then quickly hurried up to open the door.

Swinging open the door, he was surprised as a petite mass of feminine beauty fell into his arms. He stared across the hall in astonishment as Miaka's delicate hands gripped the front of his shirt. The feeling of his shirt becoming moist shocked him into embracing her tightly. 'Why is she crying?!' He thought as he gently pulled her further into his family's apartment and shut the door behind her, keeping an arm around her while he did so.

Under any other circumstances, Tasuki would never have known what to do. He was never good with women when they were emotional. Actually, he didn't even want to be around them when they were experiencing anything other than extreme happiness. But as always, Miaka was a different story.

He embraced her tightly, his strong arms wrapping around her slender body and pressing her against him. One of his hands rested gently behind her head as she squished her face into the center of his chest, her tears still continuing to moisten his shirt. He realized her hair was down and loved the way his hand felt in it. As he imagined himself curling the subtle waves of her hair around his index finger it be came difficult to keep himself from straying off far into a dream.

But he kept his mind focused on Miaka and what was wrong. After all, it was hurting him so much to see her like this.

"Miaka," he whispered softly with his eyes closed as his lips pressed against the top of her head in order to try and comfort her. "Tell me what's wrong."

The truth was that Miaka didn't know why she was here in Tasuki's arms. She didn't know why she had ran from Tamahome's after she walked in on Xi Fang and him. Maybe it was just that she was so surprised that she didn't know who to turn to. But then that didn't explain why she was at Tasuki's. Why wasn't she at her best friend Yui's?

Why was she even surprised when she saw Tamahome kissing Xi Fang anyway? She had kissed Tasuki and it didn't seem as nearly earth shattering as this did. Wait...earth shattering? Was it really all that bad? Yes, seeing the boy that you're going out with kiss another girl can be pretty bad. But she wasn't as devastated as she thought she would have been. She had just seen Xi Fang all over Tamahome and she wasn't angry in the least. Just surprised. Maybe it was the fact that she had done the same thing a week earlier. Or maybe it was something else...

She tried speaking, but the words just wouldn't come out. She couldn't help but sob into Tasuki's chest. It was because she was extremely upset right?

"Sh." Tasuki tried to quiet her down by rubbing her back tenderly. "It's alright. How about I walk you over to the couch and we can talk over a little snack, okay?" He whispered gently.

With a nod Miaka was taken over to the couch by Tasuki. He gently helped her onto his couch, bringing the coffee table closer to where they sat closely. Offering her the cookies and milk that he had brought over for himself only a few minutes ago, he continued to try and calm her down.

She hesitated before taking a cookie and nibbling on it, snuggling closely to Tasuki's side. His arms stayed securely around her shoulders as he held her close for a few minutes. The shaking of her body calmed down as she relaxed in his arms, finding comfort in the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. When he was finally sure that she had settled down, he spoke up.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong now?" He whispered gingerly into her hair on the top of her head, which was now the resting place of his face and lips. As his face rested there, he let himself take in the sweet smell of her shampoo and perfume. He was savoring every moment of being so close to her, very aware of how he felt.

Miaka nodded slowly, wondering if he could feel the heat that was now rising to her cheeks. Being this close to Tasuki was invigorating and she couldn't help but feel intoxicated by his pure masculine scent. He was the only man that could make her feel this way. Tamahome had never made her blush like this just because he was touching her. It just felt so right.

After a few more moments of silence, Miaka told Tasuki the answer was dying to know. "I...saw Tamahome kissing another girl on his bed," was what she whispered into his strong chest, her eyes shut tightly as they began to sting with tears. Yes, she had kissed another man. She had kissed the man that was currently holding her and she was wrong in doing so. Right? Or was she just making too big a deal out of all of this. Maybe deep down inside she was just afraid of being rejected by Tasuki.

Wait a second. Rejected by Tasuki? What was that supposed to mean. Rejected by Tasuki. Psh.

She wasn't even interested in Tasuki. He was just a friend. A really good friend. Who just happened to be really good looking. And super sexy. And charming. And...

Okay! So she could go on for hours about how amazing he was. And she could finally admit to herself that she had the teeniest crush on him. But what she wouldn't let herself admit was that it was a lot more than just a teeny crush.

Her breath caught in her throat as she was pulled closer to Tasuki's firm body by his powerful arms. Suddenly she felt a warm set of lips upon her forehead which caused her blush to darken further. Her cheeks were so red that she was afraid her small tears would evaporate off of her hot cheeks.

"Miaka," Tasuki spoke softly into her pale skin. He was touched that she had actually come to find comfort in him after what she had encountered. But he was a bit weary about what this meant. Did she think that it was completely wrong that they had shared something as sweet as a kiss? And if she did, had that destroyed every chance he might have had with her?

He mentally shook his head. 'I have to be here to comfort Miaka.'

Miaka timidly looked up at the man who was holding her and her eyes fell upon the charming smile that was curling the tips of his mouth upward. He was looking down at her with affectionate eyes, almost like a lover would.

'Almost,' She thought in an attempt to persuade herself.

Miaka felt something rise within her. The urge to tell Tasuki something. But she didn't know what. She knew she needed to say something, something that would probably end up confusing the both of them.

And then, she started rambling. She began in a whisper as she looked down at his chest, catching his full attention. His mind had guiltily wandered off into pleasurable fantasies of Miaka and him together, but now he was completely focused.

"Tas-chan," Under any other circumstances, he would have yelled. He wasn't to fond of nicknames. His name was Tasuki and that was that. But with Miaka, it was so different. "I don't think it's as bad as I'm making it out to be." Tasuki opened his mouth to tell her not to say that. If she felt horrible about this, he wanted to know. He didn't want her to cover up and keep her emotions a secret. But she continued. "I truly don't believe that it's that big of a deal..."

Miaka stopped for a moment before continuing. "She can have him."

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Tamahome had watched as Miaka ran from his apartment in tears. He really had no idea what had come over him. Why hadn't he pulled away from Xi Fang? Then he remembered that she was still in his bedroom.

Instead of trying to run after Miaka like he knew he should have, he felt compelled to go back to his room and talk with Xi Fang. What was with him these days?

As he made the trip back to his bedroom he thought about why he had let Xi Fang kiss him. What had caused him to give in? As he thought more and more, he came to the conclusion that it was probably him being spiteful. He admitted to himself that he was jealous of Tasuki for being so close to Miaka. Being angry with Miaka for not agreeing to stop talking to Tasuki had also caused him to act irrationally. But now was not the time to talk to her. She needed to calm down. He would call her later. Then a single thought popped into his mind.

Why wasn't his guilt weighing heavy on his conscious?

Heaving a sigh, he opened the door to his bedroom slowly and looked up at Xi Fang as he walked in. She had a brilliant smile on her face.

"Is Miaka okay?" He shrugged. What was he supposed to say to that? Miaka had just seen them kiss, how was she supposed to feel? Happy? Yeah. Okay. Sure.

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A persistent ringing resonated from down the hallway. Letting a heavy sigh escape his lips, Hotohori walked out of his bedroom to get the phone. It was true that he was glad to have his homework interrupted but he had a feeling that he already knew who was calling.

Hotohori reached for the phone reluctantly. He picked it up, but hesitated as he put the speaker to his ear. When a vixenish voice chimed in over the speaker, he knew that his previous assumption was correct.

"Moshi moshi." Hotohori tried to give off the feeling that he was too busy or not in the mood to talk but Nuriko's voice was just as cheerful and girlish as ever. Don't mistake Hotohori's reluctance to talk with Nuriko for annoyance. He liked the guy, but as a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. He just wished that Nuriko could get that through his head.

"Hey Hotohori! How about you and I go to the mall for a bit? We could do a bit of shopping if you'd like." Hotohori rolled his eyes while he slouched against the wall. Then and idea came to him.

"Sure. Would it be okay if I invited Miaka to come along with us?" He pulled a persuading tone. Finally he might be able to spend some time with Miaka!

"Well...I don't know..." Nuriko sounded skeptical. He had actually called just to spend time with Hotohori. At least that had been his plan. He wasn't looking for a date exactly, just to spend a bit of time with the guy he liked.

"We haven't spent any time with her in a while..." Hotohori added to try and persuade Nuriko into saying yes. And it was true, it had been a long time since any of them had gone out in a large group like they had used to. He really did miss those times.

"Alright..." Finally convinced, Nuriko buckled under the pressure. He could get his time alone with Hotohori some other time. "Why don't we call the rest off the group too?"

A smile spread across both of their faces as they talked about the time and place where they'd meet. Hotohori would call Tamahome, Miaka and Tasuki while Nuriko called Chichiri, Mitsukake and Chiriko.

After hanging up, Hotohori started contacting the rest of the group.

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Tasuki stared down at Miaka, his amber eyes wide with surprise. What did she just say? She can have him? What!? Weren't they going out!? Shouldn't she be angry? Wait...does this mean...

Miaka timidly looked up at Tasuki for a moment before averting her eyes away from his penetrating stare. Her torso was still pressed against his and she felt desire bubble within her stomach. Maybe it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. His body was so close and it felt so right.

Finally, he spoke. "Miaka, don't say things that you'll regret later. You know you didn't mean--"

She interrupted him by shifting her weight in his arms, her face now mere centimeters from his. He watched her, eyes till wide open in shock.

"I meant what I said." He could barely hear her hushed whisper. About a minuted ticked by on the clock behind them before Miaka spoke softly. What she murmured astounded the both of them. "I've got someone else."

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Hotohori finished leaving a message at Miaka's apartment before he started to call Tamahome. He figured that Miaka was probably over at his apartment. They were an item after all. Tamahome picked up the phone. He sounded exhausted and ill tempered.

Timidly, Hotohori spoke. "Uhm. Nuriko and I were wondering..if you wanted to go out with the gang today."

In a tone that sounded edgy, Tamahome snapped back. "No. I've got a Chemistry project to work on. Something you should be doing too." Tamahome held his head with one hand as he spoke, his thumb and middle finger on his temples on either side of his head.

"S-sorry." Hotohori bowed his head in apology, even if Tamahome couldn't see him. It was out of habit. As they exchanged their goodbyes, he wondered if Xi Fang was over Tamahome's house.

Tamahome trudged angrily back to his room. He didn't like what Xi Fang had said about Miaka. She wasn't just an silly little child. The fact that she was a year behind him meant nothing to him. She was Miaka and he loved everything about her. Right?

Well, yes. He did love her.

Doubt sprang up in his mind. How did he love her? Like a sister or a significant other?

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Tasuki's heart thumped rapidly in his chest. What was she saying? Who was she talking about? Did she like someone else?! Did he now have more competition!? Was it that ebony haired male with the gold eyes? His name was Hotohori right? Yeah. He looked like he had the hots for Miaka. Inside he was brimming with envy, but then all of a sudden his doubt of who she was talking about was wiped from his mind.

It was him that she was talking about.

Miaka's hand was flat against Tasuki's chest and he watched as she pushed him back on the couch. As he lay beneath her, he strained to keep his hormones under control. Which was a hard task to do.

Damn hard.

Auburn hair hung wildly around her face as she leaned down close to him, framing it in the most exquisite way imaginable. With cheeks stained a shade of pink and eyes shimmering a vibrant emerald. She was utterly gorgeous. And she was his.

Confidence intensified within his body as he made this realization. Even though she was avoiding saying that she liked him straight out, he knew that she did. It was just something about the way she looked at him. The way her eyes smiled as they gazed at him. Why she couldn't just come out and say it, he didn't know. Was she still battling her feelings for Tamahome? If so, then he shouldn't make any moves on her...

But it was too late. Her lips connected with his and the dam was broken. Like a rush of water, washing over them both, desire pulsated through their veins. This is what Miaka had been missing. Desire. Lust. Not only that, but appreciation. She wasn't being walked all over and taken advantage. She was actually wanted by Tasuki. And not in only the physical sense. Or at least it felt that way to her.

Miaka waited with her lips pressed against Tasuki's for him to make a move. She wanted to see if he felt the same way about her that she did about him. She had a major crush on him, yes. But still that was the only thing she would allow herself to admit. It was desire and lust. And the fact that he looked out for her and cared about her. And that he was easy to get along with and had an amazing personality. And...

Yeah. Point proven.

Desire continued to stir within Tasuki, he wanted to pursue her. Feel her tongue against his. He wanted to be in her mouth. Be in her, period. Okay, maybe he was thinking a little to far ahead, but it was true. That was what he wanted. But when the time was right. Now he would just carry out a bit of innocent foreplay. Or at least try to.

He reached up and wove his fingers into her hair as he tilted his head a bit to the side. As his eyes closed his mouth separated a tiny bit to allow the tip of his tongue to gently caress her soft lips.

Excitement burst within Miaka's body like a firecracker. He was asking for access to her mouth, something she would surely grant him. Her eyelids fluttered closed as her lips parted slightly, enough to allow him passage to her mouth.

Just as Tasuki's tongue gently slipped passed her lips the two jolted apart, eyes wide. Tasuki leaned up on his elbows as he looked towards the kitchen with a groan. 'They better have a good reason for calling...' he thought as he quickly planted a kiss on Miaka's lips, seating her on the couch after he got up.

Walking into the kitchen and picking up the phone, he tried to hide the frustration in his voice as he spoke. "Moshi moshi."

"Hey Tasuki. How are you doing today?" Hotohori's cheery voice rung in his ear, taunting him. He felt like yelling at him for interrupting his private time with Miaka. 'I'd be doing much better if you hadn't called!' He thought angrily.

He made sure to clear his throat before speaking as a precaution. He really didn't want to snap on the guy. After all, Hotohori had no idea that he had interrupted anything. "Just fine. And you?"

"I'm doing good. Hey, Nuriko and I were wondering. Would you and Miaka like to come out with the gang? Well, I'm assuming that Miaka is there since no one picked up her phone when I called her apartment." To Tasuki, the tone of Hotohori's voice made it sound as if he was pleading for Miaka's presence. And in reality, he was.

Again Tasuki cleared his throat, but this time to get rid of the surprise that would most likely be found in his voice. He hadn't known the group for long, but already he was being invited along to hang out? Maybe it was just because he wanted Miaka to come along so he felt obligated to invite him. Tasuki held back a growl. "Sure. Why not."

To be continued...

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Okay. It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, and possibly not quite as good. But just as important (at least I think so). Sorry about the inconvenience of time. And I promise the next chapter will be much better. I have a song fic from Tasuki's point of view that is finished and going through editing by my best friend. And I have a new fic that I started and the second chapter of it is already being written. Any helpful criticism is ALWAYS welcome. Thank you! 3

Oh, and I'm sorry if it uploaded a little differently than the other chapters. I really have no idea what is going on with it.


	7. Coming to a Realization

_**Disclaimer: No, Fushigi Yûgi isn't mine. It belongs to the lovely Yu Watase, Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo and Pioneer. No copyright infringement is intended.**_

Welcome to the beginning of chapter seven in CIAWOL!

**Kuroi hane**- Hehe. I don't know what she see's in him either! And I agree he is _sorta_ cute. Personally I think he looks a lot better in the manga than he does in the series. I have no idea why though.

And to answer your question, the Shijin Tenchi Sho plays _no_ part in this fic (Although you might find some similarities and parallels). It's kinda like I plucked the characters out of the story and threw them in present day high school. And yes, many more seishi make appearances. Between you and me, I plan to squeeze some Seiryu and maybe even some Byakko! I already used a Genbu warrior. :P See if you can find him.

Psh. I love that word too. Hehe.

XD Yeah if her and her "teeny crush" don't get their act together soon, there is definitely going to be some Tasuki kidnapping!

:D Yep. Finally there getting closer. And let your NC-17 thoughts run rampant! I'm working on yet another song fic that will definitely have a lot of Tasuki and Miaka action. To tell you the truth, I have about 5 song fics in the making with the TasMi pairing. Insane, I know. But whenever I listen to certain songs, I picture some sort of store with Tasuki and Miaka. I guess I'm crazy?

Thank you so much for reviewing everything I've written. XD It really means a lot to me.

**RainbowSerenity** – I was trying to throw a curve ball by tossing Xi Fang into the mix. I guess it worked huh? :P

And yes, KittyLynne's advice is working fabulously. And I totally agree with you. I'm a lot happier with these past two chapters than I was with my first one.

And you are correct about that love...well...web. And I may even toss in some more characters into that web. Like you, I just adore love webs! I can't get enough of them!

Very fun times and...well...you'll see!

_And big thank you to everyone else who has given me reviews! I read each and every one of them and I appreciate them so much!_

_**Oh and warning!**_

_In the first few paragraphs there is partial nudity on Miaka's behalf. If anyone things I should up the rating on the story because of this, please tell me so I can make sure to do that. I forget what I have rated this story. -.-'_

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Tasuki sat quietly on the couch at the Yuki apartment, toying around with a picture frame that held a photograph of Miaka and her best friend Yui. After letting a sigh escape his lips, he set the frame back down on the coffee table as he stood. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans and wandered around the room for a bit, taking in his surroundings. '_Why does all of this seem to look familiar?'_

Glancing down at his shirt, he pondered if his choice of a band tee was the right one. As he shrugged it off he glanced at the only clock in the room, the Yuki family VCR player. _'Hey! They got theirs to work! And I thought that was impossible,'_ he thought as he read the numbers.

Three o'clock.

The red head's face scrunched up in frustration. _'How long does it take her to change?'_ He mulled over why it would take Miaka almost a half hour to change out of her school uniform and into a new outfit. As he did so, he slowly wandered down the hallway that Miaka had disappeared into before she left him almost thirty minutes ago.

While he trudged down the hall in search of Miaka's room, he felt as if his feet had a mind of their own. He had never been to her apartment before, right? So how did he know where her room was? It was probably just the fact that almost all apartments looked a lot alike.

As he approached Miaka's room, he didn't think for a moment that she might actually be busy. Actually, he wasn't really even thinking at all, which was normal for the teenager. Thinking before his actions was a very rare occasion for him. In any case, he certainly didn't expect Miaka to be undressed.

He froze in the doorway, his boots glued to the floor. His eyes stuck on the image Miaka's torso as the door silently swung open. Busy humming and looking for articles of clothing inside her closet, Miaka didn't notice the male in her room so naturally she wasn't in a hurry to cover up her exposed skin.

Tasuki moistened his lips slowly as he continued gawk at the maidens completely exposed upper half. Looking down at his own lower half he groaned inwardly. _'Stay down, boy. Please!'_ As he mentally yelled at his manhood he couldn't help but avert his glance back up to Miaka.

Staring intently at her milky skin, he marveled at how petite, yet developed the girl was. He could clearly imagine cupping a rough hand against the curvature of her breast as he slowly lowered his lips to...

He mentally swore and tore his gaze away from the pleasant site as he shut his eyes tightly, trying to push those thoughts from his mind for the sake of being calm when she was ready to leave. He strode off down the rest off the hallway, seeking refuge in the bathroom. He found it at the end of the hall (just where he thought it would be) and shut the door behind him. Staring into the depths of the mirror, he turned the faucet on and splashed cool water onto his face. As he reached for a towel, he reluctantly pictured the principal undressing before him which quickly brought his libido down to a level that he could control.

While burying his face in a towel, he vaguely heard his name being called down the hallway. He peaked out at the closed door from behind the towel, proclaiming his presence in the bathroom. Setting down the towel where he got it from, he reached for the door an opened it.

Face to face with Miaka, he shoved his hands in his pockets and pushed a fangy grin to his lips as he recklessly fought off thoughts of her writhing beneath him in a naked sweat. "Ready?"

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Tamahome stared blankly down at the text book in his lap. His eyes were fixated on the passage he was supposed to be reading, yet his mind was someplace else. Ever since he'd hung up the phone after Hotohori's call, his mind was swimming in a sea of doubt and confusion. How did he feel about Miaka? So far, he could only admit that he loved Miaka at the beginning of the relationship, but how that had blossomed over time, he couldn't quite tell.

After a few minutes he began to feel Xi-Fang's curious gaze as it bore into him. With an exasperated sigh, he snapped the text book shut and turned to look at her. "Yes?"

At Tamahome's reaction, Xi-Fang put on a façade of embarrassment and guilt. She turned away as she nervously took her lower lip into her mouth and gently gnawed on it.

Heaving another sigh, he began to give into Xi-Fang's plan without his acknowledgement. Setting the text book down on the bed, he slid a little closer to her. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I guess my nerves are a little shot." His shoulders sagged as he leaned back against the wall, staring down at his lap as he brought his knees up, closing his eyes.

A smile found its way onto Xi-Fangs face as she got onto her hands and knees, bringing her face a little closer to Tamahome's. "Don't worry about it." She murmured quietly, purposely speaking in an alluring tone. Ever since she'd met Tamahome, she'd always wanted his heart for her own. This chemistry project was the perfect excuse for her to get closer to him without too much interference from Miaka.

He could swear he felt her breathing faintly on his cheek. Cracking and eye open just slightly to look out at her; he soon came to the realization that she hadn't given up on making him hers just yet. In a quick jumble of thoughts, Tamahome figured that it wouldn't hurt to just play around a bit with Xi-Fang. If he wanted to be sure that his feelings for Miaka were true, then he could put them to the test, right? If he felt nothing during this little escapade, then he could happily continue his relationship with Miaka.

Opening his eyes for just a moment, he brought a hand up to Xi-Fang's cheek, cupping it gently as he caught her lips with his. Now on his knees, he gently pushed Xi-Fang onto her back as she willingly gave her mouth to him completely. As their tongues mingled together, Tamahome pulled her legs up and around his waist, his mind wandering to thoughts of how her bare thighs would feel against his own hot skin.

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Chichiri secretly gazed at the couple beside him as the whole crew walked the mall. Ever since they'd arrived, they had seemed closer than ever. They even seemed to be closer than Chichiri had ever seen Miaka and Tamahome. He couldn't help but marvel in how quickly the relationship between his new locker buddy and his good friend was flourishing.

Looking around the mall he spotted many other couples as they walked the mall in search of gifts to buy each other or maybe a movie to sneak into. Watching the rest of his own group, he listened to the couples talk about nothing and about everything. Mitsukake walked hand in hand with his girlfriend Shoka, talking about his future in medicine and where it would take him in the world, Shoka vowing to follow him. Nuriko was persistently tugging on Hotohori's arm as he leaned his head on his shoulder. While Nuriko got comfortable, Hotohori was trying to politely slip his arm from Nuriko's grasp.

Chichiri glanced down at his right hand side, finding Chiriko smiling up at him. He gave him a small smile in return as his gaze went back to Miaka and Tasuki. Letting out a sigh, his mind drifted to thoughts of Tenmei. They had known each other since they were very young and over time he had begun to look at her as more than just a friend. As he continued to silently ponder their relationship and where it might go, he thought of what exactly she was doing right now, and who she was with. Whoever it was, he was instantly jealous that they were spending their time with her, breathing in the same air that she was.

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Nuriko continued to tug at Hotohori's clothing as he tried to get his attention, though Hotohori's caramel eyes continued to watch Miaka as she laughed jubilantly with Tasuki. Envy welled up deep inside him as the two exchanged small talk, making little jokes every now and then.

Catching site of the bitter looks Hotohori was throwing his way, Tasuki decided to try and relax the tension between them. He wasn't exactly sure of what had caused it, but he was determined to befriend Hotohori.

Holding Miaka's hand, he gently pulled her with him as he walked along side Hotohori. Every now and then, Hotohori's golden eyes drifted down to their clasped hands in annoyance.

"Miaka tells me that you're heir to Konan Inc." Both Hotohori and Nuriko's eyes quickly focused on Tasuki. Hotohori took this as his shot to prove to Miaka that he could offer Miaka great wealth when it came to both money and love.

"Yes, I am. I've already thought up many new products and marketing strategies that could prove useful to the company if introduced." Hotohori kept eye contact with Tasuki as he spoke, trying to shoot him glances that would instill fear in him. He needed to tell him that he was treading on forbidden territory. Miaka was his.

Unfazed, a grin slid onto Tasuki's face as he pointed over to Nuriko with his thumb. "He gonna be your partner in crime?" He chuckled a bit.

Nuriko's face reddened a bit along with Hotohori's, but he was the first to act. Nurkio's fist connected with Tasuki's fore arm within a matter of seconds. Tasuki let go of Miaka's hand as he tenderly covered the spot where he was punched.

"For a sissy man, ya sure pack a punch!" Miaka could only giggle as another barrage of punches connected with Tasuki's already tender fore arm.

"Maybe that'll teach you." Nuriko ran a hand through his bangs and flung his long braid over his shoulder. Tasuki whimpered quietly while Miaka's giggles quieted down, both of them dropping behind the rest of the group.

"I guess I should have warned you about Nuriko. He may be feminine, but he's pretty strong." She stuck her tongue out at him as she teased him. "But you should be able to take it. You are strong after all, aren't you?" She poked at his fore arm.

"Hey, hey!" He shoed her hand away with his own as he continued. "Don't touch. It's very sensitive at the moment." He grinned down at her before looking back up at the rest of the group. After a few moments of pondering, he began speaking again. "Wanna see how long it would take for them to notice we're gone?" He looked back down at her, a look of mischief twinkling in his amber eyes.

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Tamahome unwillingly tore his lips away from Xi-Fangs, his breathing slightly heavy as it tickled her cheek. Opening his eyes, he gazed down at the maiden underneath him. He sat carefully back on his feet, gently resting his weight on her legs. He drew circles around her bellybutton as he looked up at her.

"Maybe you should get your shirt back on. Or at least your bra." He grinned slyly as he reached for both of her articles of clothing, along with his own tee shirt. He sat next to her as he slipped his tee over his head, waiting for her to clothe herself.

Upon finishing, a smile lit up her face. "Hey, how about we forget about this Chemistry project for a bit and go to the mall?"

Without a seconds thought, Tamahome nodded and reached for her hand, pulling her off the bed and out the door.

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Miaka burst out of the dressing room, radiating happiness. She was trying on a colourful bikini, its fabric a mosaic of oranges, yellows, pinks and reds. Tasuki sat in a chair silently as he watched Miaka model the swimwear. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep control over himself with each swing of her hips as she checked out how she looked in her current attire.

"Miaka," He called out, mentally in distress and willing to try anything that might keep his sexual desires from escalating. "There's a mirror over here." Maybe if she could see her behind in the mirror, she'd stop tossing her hips around.

But Tasuki, like so many times before, hadn't completely thought about his plan before executing it. Not only was she now close enough to him that he could smell her faint perfume, but she had continued to swing her hips ever so slightly as she gazed at herself in the mirror. He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose or just out of sheer habit. Whatever it was, it didn't change the fact that it was turning him on.

A lot.

It seemed that at this point he was ready to whisk her away into the dressing room she had exited moments before. It would only take seconds for him to pull the string on the top of her bikini. And also, watching the article of clothing flutter to the ground would be such a pleasant experience. His mind now set on at least touching the maiden before him, his hands went to the arms of the chair and he slowly pushed himself out of it.

Much to his dismay, a sales clerk quickly came over, asking Miaka if she would be buying the bikini.

Miaka turned to Tasuki, smiling up at him. "Well what do you think? Should I buy it?"

His eyes widened as he blinked rapidly for a moment, a bit caught off guard by the question. "Well, why not?" came his answer after a moment or two. "You look beautiful in it." The teeniest bit of colour warmed his cheeks.

The sales women smiled brilliantly at the fact that something else from the store was to be sold. "You listen to your boyfriend. He knows what he's talking about."

Yet again Tasuki was caught off guard by someone's words, but this time he was not alone. Miaka stared at the women for a second as she processed what was said. _Do we really look that much like a couple?_

By the time she had gained her composure and was ready to correct the women, it was too late. She had already disappeared behind the cash register, waiting for Miaka to change and purchase the swimwear. With a grin, Tasuki nudged her back towards the dressing room which she came out of before.

"Come on, sweetie. It's getting late." He teased as he stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting outside the door.

Before shutting the door behind her, Miaka stuck her tongue out at him with a playful grin.

When she came back out, she walked up to the cash register, Tasuki at her heels. She set the bikini up on the counter and reached in her bag for her wallet. But before she could successfully pull it out, Tasuki was leaning in behind her and handing over a small wad of money to the salesclerk. She looked up at him questioningly, but the only response he gave her was a sheepish grin.

Upon receiving his change, he quickly walked out of the store, waiting for her to catch up with him. As Miaka neared the exit with her bag in toe, Tasuki shoved his hands in his pockets and began to whistle quietly as he waited. She stood out in front of him, holding out her hand. In her palm there was a bit of money.

"Take it." She urged him as she slid her arm into the handle of the bag. She reached for his hand with her free hand, pulling it out of his pocket and placing her money into the palm of his own hand. "There was no need for you to pay for that."

"Aw come on, Mi-chan." He placed the money back in her hand, sliding his hand back into his pocket as he leaned gently against the doorframe. "Lets just call it a little thank you gift." Looking down at her from the corner of his eye, he caught her puzzled look.

"What have I done worthy of anyone's praise?" She waited patiently as they watched, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Tasuki pondered how exactly he should go about wording what he wanted to say. He didn't want to blurt anything out that might come back to bite him in the ass. And he certainly didn't want to scare her off by being too forward.

"Well Mi-chan," He started softly as he finished organizing the jumble of thoughts in his head into one coherent sentence. As he continued his gaze fell down to his boots. "You've made me feel very welcome since I moved back here."

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Xi-Fang gently pulled Tamahome along by the hand as they entered the mall, humming one of her favourite songs.

"Where to first?" Tamahome asked as he watched Xi-Fang, taking note of how much her mood had changed. She seemed much more jubilant at the moment compared to what her attitude was like before Hotohori's call. Maybe the fact that there was no longer any sexual tension between the two of them had something to do with it.

Tamahome had completely forgotten that the rest of his gang was in the mall when Hotohori had called. And even as the two of them stepped onto an escalator leading to the second floor, he was still completely oblivious to the fact that at any moment his friends could catch him in an act of infidelity. Well, he could always use the Chemistry project as an excuse.

Xi-Fang gently chewed on her lower lip in thought as she contemplated where she would drag Tamahome to first. "Oh! I know the perfect place to go!"

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"Well," the molten haired teen stood up straight. "How about we grab a bite to eat and then try and find the others?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Miaka's lips as she pulled Tasuki's hand from his pocket and held it, lacing her fingers with his. "Okay. That sounds good." Neither Tasuki nor Miaka noticed Tamahome and his mistress as they walked into the store right after they left.

Miaka lead Tasuki to the nearest restaurant where they sat down in a corner booth. During their meal they talked about everything they could in order to get to know each other better. They both shared little facts like their birthdays and their fears. It took a bit of prodding on Miaka's part to get Tasuki to confess to that he was a hydrophobic. They talked about the history behind Miaka's hair style and what it was like for Tasuki to live in the United States for most of his life.

With each passing word, Tasuki's adoration towards Miaka grew. The more she told about herself, the more he wanted to hear. He was surprised at how curious he was to know every detail about her and her life. Never before had he wanted to know this much about a girl. As the seconds ticked by and they kept talking, it was becoming more and more apparent to Tasuki that he was becoming attached. When and if she let him have her, he wouldn't be letting go. Not for Tamahome, not for anyone.

The way Miaka was speaking made it seem as if she had everything under control. But that was far from the truth. Her head was swimming in a sea of confusion as she tried yet again to sort out her feelings. Before Hotohori's call back at Tasuki's apartment, she had been very forward had actually kissed the man before her. Wasn't it only a few hours ago that she had caught her boyfriend kissing another girl? Didn't that make her a hypocrite?

And then there was what she had said before she kissed him. She had practically confessed that she wanted something more than just a friendship from Tasuki. Did she only say that because the stress of seeing her boyfriend kiss another girl was affecting her, or did she really mean it?

And what was puzzling her even more was: was she even really all that peeved about Tamahome kissing Xi-Fang?

She was contradicting herself left and right as she tried to rationalize her thoughts. Finally she decided to quiet down her musings and focus on the conversation she was having with the man in front of her. Sorting out her feelings had to be put on the back burner at the moment.

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By this time, everyone had noticed the disappearance of their female companion. And it didn't take long to notice that the new comer to their group was conspicuously absent as well. Hotohori as well as Chichiri tried to reach Miaka on her cell phone, but it turned out that she had turned it off just for the occasion. Well, Miaka couldn't have picked a more inopportune time to turn her phone off considering the sight the group happened to be looking at.

None of them knew that a few hours ago Tamahome did something that caused Miaka to distance herself even more from him. None of them knew that Xi-Fang and Tamahome had locked lips. And none of them knew that Miaka had run to Tasuki for comfort.

The whole group was passing by the swimsuit store just as the unexpected couple exited. Chichiri sensed them first, but Hotohori was quicker with his words.

"Hey! Tamahome!" He called out to him, Nuriko still clinging to his arm like always. "I thought you said you had to work on that Chemistry project?"

As soon as he heard his name Tamahome was racking his brain for an excuse. "Oh? I said that didn't I? Heh." He put his and behind his head as he quickly tried to think up a reasonable excuse. "Well. We decided we should take a break and rest our heads. We've already got a lot done anyway." Mentally he cursed at himself for lying to his friends. And also because they had accomplished absolutely nothing. The project was due in another week.

"I see." With a bit of reluctance, Hotohori politely invited the couple to join them. After asking for Xi-Fangs approval, Tamahome quickly agreed and they were all on their way again.

It didn't take long for Tamahome to realize that his girlfriend was missing. He wondered if the new kid had been invited on this little excursion and if he was off someplace with Miaka.

A little way down the strip of stores and restaurants, Tasuki caught site of the group as they all walked in his direction. His gaze quickly zeroed in on Tamahome, shooting him a death glare even if he couldn't see it. Then his gaze fell onto Xi-Fang and how she was interlocking her arm with Tamahome's. It strongly reminded him of the way Nuriko was hanging all over Hotohori.

Fortunately, Miaka had gone to the bathroom a couple of minutes ago so she wasn't sitting with him to watch as the group paraded in his direction.

_How dare he even come out of his apartment with that girl after what he has done._ It was then that Tasuki realized that he was really no better than Tamahome with the way he was acting. He had gotten Miaka to kiss him a few days ago and they were very close to making out just a couple hours ago.

It was unlike him to do something like that. With all of the morals he was brought up with, he was now acting out of character. He decided that from this point on, the only way he could ever be with her physically again, even if it was just a brief kiss, was if she broke it off with Tama. He just wouldn't allow himself to get mixed up in a great controversy. Plus, he wanted to know that if he and Miaka were locking lips, it was because she really felt a connection with him. Not just because she wasn't getting anything physical from Tamahome.

Yet again he was thinking about how strange it was for him to be more than just physically attracted to a woman. He had never felt so connected, so bound to someone like he felt he was with Miaka.

As the group passed him, Tasuki tried hiding his face, but his attempts were futile. He felt one set of eyes as their owners gaze bore into him and only when the gang turned the corner did he feel it was safe to lift his head.

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He was the only one of the group who had sensed Tasuki, so he tried not to bring attention over to him as they all passed. Chichiri wasn't oblivious to the fact that Tamahome was allowing Xi-Fang to hang all over him, so he knew that something must have happened between Miaka and Tama. And since he had noticed the closeness of Tasuki and Miaka before, he figured that Tasuki could be the one to get Miaka's mind off things. So the longer they were alone together, the better off Miaka would be.

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Miaka came back from the bathroom promptly after the gang had turned the corner. Tasuki pushed a broad grin onto his face to disguise the war of emotions that was rampaging about in his head. Guiltiness, annoyance, anger, frustration, compassion; whatever emotion you could think of, it was all tearing through the synapses in his brain.

"So, are you ready to get back to the group?" Miaka's words rang in his mind, bringing a halt to all of his musings. Get back to the group? No, no, no, no, no! He couldn't let that happen. No matter what she had said back at his apartment earlier, he had a feeling that she still might not be ready to give up on Tamahome. Feeling that way, he wasn't about to let her see Tamahome and the girl that was hanging all over him.

'_Think quickly, Tasuki!'_ He searched his mind for any excuse to stay away from the gang. Anything that could buy them time would do. Finally, a brilliant idea came into his head. _'Not only will it suck up time, but I can show her what I spend most of my time doing.'_

A grin spread across his lips, curling the corners of his mouth upward towards the sky. "Mi-chan, we have to make one last stop before we join back up with them." And with that, he put some money on the table to pay for both of their meals and took her hand, exiting the restaurant with her in toe.

It didn't take them very long to arrive at the destination Tasuki had picked out. They only had to make a couple of stops at the directories just so Tasuki knew he was leading Miaka in the right direction. But eventually Tasuki came to a stop in front of a fairly large music store.

Miaka looked up at the store and peered in before looking up at her male companion. "You like music?" A smile that was brimming with eagerness lit up her face. She guessed that she probably wasn't as big a music fan as he, but none the less, she liked music.

"Like music? More like _love_ music." He gently pulled her into the store. As she was tugged along, she spotted a few albums that she would have liked to pick up. She looked up at Tasuki as he continued to tow her along, weaving in and out of the CD racks.

"Maybe one day you can stop by my apartment and we can swap some CD's. I've never heard any Japanese Pop." He took a leap of faith as he guessed the kind of music she was into as he came to a stop in front of a small rack of CD's.

As she looked up at him, she gave him a questioning look. "You don't seem to be the kind of guy who would like any of it." And it was true. His dashing looks gave him a tough-guy appearance, and you just didn't expect tough guys to be into Japanese Pop.

Tasuki looked down at her, amber eyes twinkling with a tiny bit of embarrassment as he gave her a sheepish grin. "Between you and me, I'm a bit of a sucker for the softer kind of music." A tiny bit of colour splashed Tasuki's cheeks, his face now a faint pink compared to the rest of his tanned body.

A quiet giggle was allowed to escape Miaka's lips as her hand was let go of in order for Tasuki to begin his quest of the perfect CD. As he searched, he looked up at her long enough to say to her that she could go off and find something of her own if she wanted to. And that's exactly what she did.

A while later, the both of them met at the cash register, each with a CD in their hands. Tasuki took Miaka's CD from her hands and quickly paid for the both of them before she could convey one word of protest.

As they both walked out of the store together, Miaka addressed the topic of him buying her things and how she felt that he didn't need to. Tasuki simply slid his hand through the handle of the bag before shoving his hands in his pockets and whistled, pretending he wasn't listening. Throughout her whole speech, a sly grin was playing about on his lips.

When she finished he looked down at her, one eyebrow raised as he continued to grin. "Are you done _yet_, Mi-Chan?" Her response was less than desirable. She crossed her arms, huffing in annoyance she turned her head off to the side a bit, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.

A long, heavy sigh escaped his lips as he nudged her gently. "Oh come on, Mi-chan. I was only teasing. I just don't see the problem in buying a friend a gift every now and then."

Her shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh of her own, holding her bag in front of her with both hands. "I guess it's alright..."

"You bet it is." Another grin appeared to occupy his lips as he gently nudged her again. "Now let's try and find the rest of the group. It's getting late." She looked up at him, the tip of her pink tongue appearing from between her lips.

"Keep that where it belongs." Tasuki couldn't help but continue grinning as he said this.

Meanwhile, Miaka's mind reeled with shameful thoughts. _'Where it belongs?'_ Was it her fault that the first place that came to her mind was his mouth? No. He didn't have to be so damn sexy and inviting. She thought about her physical attraction to him and how much she missed this feeling with Tamahome. She desperately missed going out and doing things with him like they had done in the past. Should she just break it off with Tamahome and move on, or try and make it work?

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Miaka's mind had cooled down as she and Tasuki walked down the escalators to the main entrance of the mall. She had turned on her cell phone and listened to the many messages that Hotohori and Chichiri had left. One of their latest messages that were left only a few minutes ago said that they were out on the first floor in front of the main entrance.

The first people who came into view were Hotohori and Nuriko, the rest following behind them. Tactfully, Tamahome took up the rear with Xi-Fang, trying to stay hidden for as long as possible. After all, he needed time to try and pry her off of his arm. But as the group met with Miaka and Tasuki half way, it became evident to Tamahome that getting Xi-Fang off of him would not be an easy task to execute.

Tasuki was keeping an eye out for Tamahome and quickly spotted him as Miaka showed Nuriko her new bathing suit and CD. The both of them giggled quietly over the front cover of the CD which featured a gorgeous picture Gackt.

Shooting a death glare at Tama, Tasuki tried to put himself between Miaka and him to try and prevent her from seeing him and the girl he was with. But his attempts were futile. The moment Tasuki tried to block Miaka's view, she noticed Tamahome.

Not only did images of catching him with Xi-Fang earlier race about in her mind, but now she watched in anger as Xi-Fang continued to cling to Tamahome's arm. Xi-Fang's eyes darted in the direction of Miaka, her lips curling into a wicked grin. What came next appeared in slow motion in Miaka's mind.

As Xi-Fang's lips puckered, she took an arm from around Tamahome and gently rested her hand on his cheek, turning his head towards her. She leaned up and planted a mocking kiss on his lips, ready to slip in some tongue if need be.

Tears gathered in Miaka's eyes as she watched Tamahome willingly return the kiss. A wave of realization crashed in her mind as she now knew exactly why all of these events had shook her up so immensely. It wasn't the fact that he was ready to be with another person other than her, be cause in all reality, she was ready to be with someone else as well. It was the fact that he could betray her right in front of her eyes. He had done it twice now and each time, it seemed as if he had no remorse for what he had done. The fact that they were supposed to be lovers didn't matter any more. It was the fact that he could go and betray her; someone she thought was a close friend, could betray her in seconds flat without even a second thought.

True, she had also kissed Tasuki while with him and she wasn't going to deny that she didn't like the experience. But she had felt as if she had committed some sort of crime. The truth was that she had felt guilty, even if she hadn't really paid attention to the emotion.

The tears that were welling up in her eyes finally overflowed and ran down her soft, pale cheeks. When the rest of the group noticed Miaka's tears, they turned their gaze to the couple behind them to find that their lips were still locked.

With a loud clatter, Miaka dropped her CD and other bag. As she turned and ran towards the mall entrance, Nuriko felt tiny droplets of salty water sprinkle his face. He turned and watched Miaka as she continued running as fast as her feet could carry her. Nuriko was the first to follow her, yelling out her name to try and get her to stop and seek comfort in the rest of her friends.

Xi-Fang watched in pleasure as she pulled her face away from Tamahome, basking in the feeling of making her arch nemesis in love feel horrible to the point of crying. The rest of the group, along with Tasuki watched as Miaka exited the doors, Nuriko hot on her tail.

With quick speed, Tasuki picked up the things Miaka had dropped and dashed after her as well. In her fit, Miaka had gained quite an amount of speed and he was even finding it hard to catch up to Nuriko, let alone Miaka. Meanwhile, thoughts raced about in Tasuki's head. In Miaka's state, who knew where she might run off to?

Nuriko pushed through the glass doors only moments after Miaka, Tasuki a couple feet behind Nuriko as he exited the glass doors as well.

The rest of the gang followed, Tamahome starting to run after them as well, only to be stopped by Xi-Fang. She gave him a seductive glance, hoping that they could maybe to a little more kissing, but Tamahome only pushed her away. He hadn't realized the consequences to his actions until that moment, and he knew he had a relationship to fix.

As Chichiri, Chiriko, Hotohori, Mitsukake, Shoka and Tamahome ran through the mall entrance, the blaring of a horn and the deafening screeching of tires stung their ears.

_**To be continued...**_

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Alright. So I left you with a cliff hanger. But I'm betting half of you can guess what happened. Sorta. I'm really hoping all of this made sense! Read and Review if you like. I love hearing from you all! **_Sorry for such a long wait!_**

Oh, and I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors and such!


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